


Play Tiger and Deer

by Vahditar



Series: Tiger and Deer [1]
Category: Wolverine (Movies), Wolverine and the X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Violence, Chases, Dominance, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Feral, Feral Behavior, Fights, Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Hunters & Hunting, Logan - Freeform, Love, Love/Hate, Mates, Mutants, OC, Original Character(s), Original Female Character - Freeform, Post - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Predator/Prey, Romance, Rough Sex, Roughness, Sabretooth - Freeform, Sex, True Mates, Understanding, Victor Creed - Freeform, Violence, Wolverine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:44:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 83,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9565622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vahditar/pseuds/Vahditar
Summary: Then the tiger laughed and said with a grin: "I will make you afraid of me, little deer. Then... I will kill you, and enjoy it." But the deer huffed and spoke: "Not if I kill you first." And then the deer showed its teeth of a predator, and curiosity sparked inside of the great beast.





	1. The first meeting

When they first met, Victor had initially set his eyes on her because of Logan.  
  
The runt’s scent was in the bar, in that specific table that Victor sat down to and more importantly, on her.  
It wasn’t fresh nor strong scent. Rather ingrained, actually.  
Meaning that Logan came through this petty little fishing village, surrounded by coast and forest, regularly. This place, and the woman, were part of Jimmy boy’s yearly migration that Sabretooth had gotten whiff about and then trailed after.  
  
So of course Victor wanted to talk to the waitress, ask about Jimmy boy and when would he visit again. Maybe the short-haired blondie would keep Sabretooth company until then? He could spent time here while waiting.  
He liked quiet places with lots of open space to hunt at, and a female or two to satisfy his other needs.  
The quiet and gloomy bar was to mutant’s taste: roomy, calm, not overly crowded and the strong lumberjack theme brought back some good memories. Like one of Jimmy’s birthdays.  
It was a shame that the place got wrecked from their fight...  
Maybe Jimmy remembered that, despite of his memory loss, but just not in the cognizant level?  
Baby brother still traveled into Canada whenever he wasn’t obeying the bald-headed cripple back in New York. And he seemed to visit this bar that was similar to the place and the girl back then…  
Well, actually the frails were different, when comparing their appearances.  
  
Silverfox bitch had been small compared to the tall and brawny Sabretooth, just tall enough to his chest with heels. She had the sweet innocent face and doe like eyes to look pleadingly when he was strangling her, long black hair easy to grab onto.  
So soft and frail that one had been.  
But seemed like Jimmy had chosen more wisely this time.  
The present frail was tall, with long and muscular legs, being almost as tall as Victor himself, a bit taller than Jimmy. Lean and springy as how briskly she approached him across the room. There was confidence at her movements, for awhile.  
But she also had doe like eyes, and just like with Silverfox, they also widened when she came closer before halting for a moment.  
Staring at him uncertainly, fear playing across her light brown eyes.  
  
Just like almost everyone did, when Victor observed them and his mind was at hunting. It was almost mundane how it was just one look that it took to make them afraid of him.  
Sure, some tried to put on a brave face and act like they weren’t pissing their pants when he approached them with lengthened claws and with the predator like smirk of his. His sharp canines showing while he enjoyed of the moment and the smell of fear.  
But where usually the smell of fear was leaking like oil into ocean, gooey and clingy, this woman's was more like a wind creeping through ajar window frame. Tasteless and prickly like snow.  
And like shutting the window it was gone, the blondie snapping out of the short fright and continuing her way to him.  
  
And she was glaring _threateningly_ down at him.  
  
Now, this was the moment when the curiosity towards the woman really took its place, tentatively. Sprouting the seed that following Logan’s trail to this village and to her had sown. A thin crack on the shell.  
  
Raising brows to the sudden change on the frail, who now was standing in front of him like ready to take him on, Victor observed.  
It was interesting. Especially when the woman just glared harder, and with irritation, when the feral male let his claws scratch the table’s surface with his resting hand.  
She shortly rub her other ear for the sound.  
A brave frail then, but how long? What if he would just stand up and approach her, would she still be able to keep up the act? True, Victor couldn’t at the moment smell much any other feelings than her being pissed off. The smell of anger so sharply draping her fear into undetectable.  
  
…First what he came for, then playtime.  
“What would you like?” the frail questioned, hands on her hips while Victor just relaxed on his wooden chair, smiling lazily. He could actually enjoy a beer, since he had traveled quiet a long.  
“What do you have?”  
But why not a bit trifle?  
“The usual. Cider, water, beer, coffee or whiskey.”  
Rubbing his bearded face in thoughtful manner Victor looked more at the woman. Despite of her attitude she was acting uneasy: ears and legs twitching now and then, shoulders tense and stare a bit trembling. Heartbeat stronger. Only the smell was missing.  
He could only breath in the spicy and ash like scent of anger, it mixing up with the sour irritation.  
  
“Then beer.”  
Nodding stiffly she left. The scarred face of hers made Victor wonder more.  
She had many different scars across her face and throat, maybe more under that thick red sweater of hers. And her attitude… Being Logan’s fuck…  
Smiling to the thought Victor casually rub one of his claw tips against table’s surface, doodling something. Guess she was a fighter then. The clues hinted that way.  
Looking up from his drafting the woman was walking back already, tall glass of beer on her hand. She placed it in front of him and then stood there with a frown.  
“Anything else?”  
“Actually”, the feral started, taking the drink to his hand and moving the glass slowly around. “I would like to know have you seen someone.”  
  
Maybe the runt had already warned her about big bad Sabretooth? And she was ready to fight until death to protect the runt? That would be the kinda thing they, the loved ones, would do. Which by the way reminded Victor of the one important thing: was the woman a mutant?  
Seemed like it. The feral male could sense something inhuman like from her, and she hadn’t started screaming and running away when he showed clear signs about being nonhuman.  
Others in the bar hadn’t yet figured it out though, at least they weren’t yet shouting it out loud. Not even the young adult man behind the counter, where moment before the coeval blondie had answered in a whisper to the ginger guy.  
  
“Something’s wrong?”  
“I got this.”  
“…Should I take the rif-“  
“ _Don’t_ intervene”  
  
But they could still sense the danger from him, Victor couldn’t help it and he didn’t want to. It was natural that weaker ones sense and scatter away from the stronger. Just like when he had sat down to this table next to window and front door.  
  
After short waiting the woman, still standing in front of the feral man, tilted her head with cocked eyebrow.  
“Do tell who?” she finally asked, glancing to the moving glass in his hands and then snapped back to him.  
Chuckle escaped between mutant’s lips, him seeing the frail’s acting as welcomed change. And he was getting a hint of feral now as he was fixated onto her.  
How long it had been since he had met another one...?  
What was she then? Cat? Fox? Or even a dog perhaps? Something pretty tame, surely. Something that thought itself as something fierce until it would get face to face with something more powerful.  
Lynx?  
Guess he would found out later on, see how much fun she could be and how much she could take. Jimmy maybe had an animal side like Victor, but unlike the runt, Sabretooth _was_ his animal side. Victor didn’t separate himself from the beast that he was born to be, he was an animal who wore the skin of a man.  
And so he didn’t hold back when getting excited about things.  
But yes, about his question of Jimmy.  
"Don't know which name of his to use. There's few of them", just like himself. Guess you kinda collect names as you live through centuries.  
“Short guy, black hair. Has… Hmmm”, taking a sniff of his drink, seeing she hadn’t done anything funny with it before giving it. Taking a small sip Victor lifted his wondering gaze to the woman. “Likes to pop out some claws out of his knuckles?”  
Very specific thing to say, as Jimmy probably was the only mutant on earth with that ability.  
Sabretooth was pleased to see the woman recognizing the description.  
She however didn’t act immediately, arms crossed and looked at him for a moment with thoughtfulness. The smell of small nervousness was leaking again…  
  
“Yeah, I know him”, she finally said. “He comes through here now and then at springtime.”  
The brown eyes looked through the window, Victor’s own darker ones following. After he had come into the bar, snow had started falling outside.  
“So I think you came here a little bit too early.”  
“I guess-”, the feral man agreed while turning his head back, seeing the woman already leaving his table before he could finish his sentence. “So…”  
She didn’t even glance over her shoulder, boldly walking away, her back turned to him. Lowering his chin, glaring from under brows Victor stopped moving the beer glass.  
  
The frail’s boldness was amusing, but rudely walking away from him?  
The sharp claws extended around the glass, lightly screeching against the surface.

* * *

  
Trying to held back from grimacing because of the high sound Anna kept walking.  
Fucking ferals. Fucking males. So easily to offend without much effort.  
If they were so high and mighty, so sure of their strength that they tried to intimidate her with it, then why were their prides so damn fragile? Never mind though, it just made them more easy to fall into stalking her and try to punish her for their damaged pride.  
This new prey of hers was after Logan though... Didn't seem to her the feral male wanted to talk to Logan, more of the opposite...  
  
Anna doubted Logan would be disappointed if she would take care of the feral.  
After all, Logan should have told her that he had some enemies who would come after him and those he associated with.  
  
Stealing a glance after getting behind the counter Anna saw the strong looking man still glaring. Yeah, he was coming after her.  
Fighting back a smile the blonde eased to chat with the bar owner's son, who also was her adoptive brother, Gary.  
The red bearded man was looking at her with concern so the woman pulled assuring smile onto her face and said:  
"It was nothing."


	2. Start of the hunt

Despite of the feral man’s appearing, rest of Anna’s shift went as normally as always.  
She only worked at daytime because the bar was half empty and quiet at then. Her sensitive ears couldn’t take all the row that a bar full of drunken talking people would do.  
At some point the stranger after Logan left the bar. And didn’t pay for his beer.  
…Anna decided not to let Gary notice it, she would pay for the drink and get the money back from the stranger, later. Gary mixing up into her doings did not come into the question. That would be very against the rules she had been given when the bar owner had found out about Anna’s... Habit.  
  
Dressing up outdoor clothes in the back room the blondie thought about her new prey.  
Predator feral. Possibly level three or even four. Had been long time to meet one, if you didn’t count Logan who was different from the usual ones.  
He could get grumpy and even angry, with a good reason, but he controlled himself and was a nice guy all in all. Anna had been very impressed how he didn’t do any predator gestures when figuring her out.  
Actually Logan had fought against his instincts, trying to act normally and like she was just another person.  
Anna herself had been of course skeptic about him, sensing he was a feral predator:  
The wild smell on him, the way he watched his surroundings and shortly reacted when she approached. Like a prey suddenly coming across a hungry predator.  
But instead of showing fangs or claws or pointing to her he knew what she was, Logan just shook his head like a dog and tried to act normally.  
  
The friendship started slowly and awkwardly between them. They both were a bit loners who didn’t need to talk all the time. Maybe it was those traits, and some other similarities they shared, that pulled them together.  
And as Logan started visiting every spring, staying for about a week or more with Anna, things just happened naturally.  
They weren’t lovers though. Anna was content just with the only friendship she had with a mutant and no less a predator feral. She didn’t need to pretend to be a normal with him.  
Although there still was secrets she didn’t share with Logan, especially this one.  
Anna knew it was wrong and fucked up. She didn’t defend it anyway. But it was what made her stay calm and put up with these villagers.  
What they had done to her when she had just been a helpless child with her father outside the village in an isolated cottage…

Outside, walking down the deserted dim main street at this late hour, when everyone else went into the bar, Anna enjoyed of the silence. Enjoyed of this place, how it stayed much the same through years, familiar to her. Despite how deeply she was bitter to this place because of the past, this was her territory, her playground.  
She knew every place in this village and its forest, everyone who lived here. This was her very own place where she was the predator in disguise, to humans and mutants.  
  
And that meant that no-one would intimidate her in her own goddamn territory. And especially stalk her. She was no-ones’ prey, it was always the other way around.

* * *

  
The snow still rained, a bit more thickly than before. Would probably get stronger during the eve.  
The snow softly crunched under Sabretooth’s boots as he steadily shadowed the woman by rooftops, staying out of streetlights’ reach and observing her.  
Despite her talking with that one man in the bar she seemed like a loner.  
The feral man pondered should he engage her here, in the open even though there weren’t really anyone around. But if she alarmed others…  
It wouldn’t do if Victor wanted the runt after him. He needed to give Jimmy a good reason to chase him yet again. And slaughtering the whole village would be a bit overdoing it.  
Police authorities would surely take notice even on this small place and then Jimmy maybe after all wouldn’t suspect him of it.  
No, Sabretooth needed to make it as personal as he could. Attack Jimmy’s girl in the village that Jimmy visited regularly.  
  
Guess Victor would observe her for couple of days, unnoticed, until he would get bored and go elsewhere until the spring. And then come back, play with her as long as he would like to.  
Hopping to another roof the mutant imagined how he would crush the frail’s confidence and cover her with scent of fear and his own musk.  
Let Jimmy have a great birthday gift.  
However, Victor stopped as the frail halted down at the street. And after a moment she suddenly turned and looked up to him. Or to the direction where he was. Crouching so not to be easily seen the man was surprised. And even more when she spoke to him.  
“Gonna come down from _my_ roof? Or are we gonna have to stand here all night?”

* * *

  
Shivering from cold, even under all the layers of wool and fabric, Anna continued glaring towards the roof.  
She had been right, it wasn’t some raccoon. It was the predator, sneaking around like a damn cat and thinking she wouldn’t notice him stalking her. He wasn’t the first nor last one to try that.  
She wasn’t just going to walk home while there was another mutant in her territory. And hunting nonetheless.  
  
Finally she saw him, a big black mass slightly moving into the light from shadows. He sure was a big guy.  
The unspoken tone of his was amused and predatory like as he looked down at her. So oppressive, that Anna had again difficulty to control her animal side. It was telling her to run and fast, to the bar where other people where. Safe in number.  
Sneering to those thoughts the female feral pushed the prey instincts away. No. She needed to take care of this one now, he was going to be a problem at some point.  
  
The man jumped down from third story tall building, pouncing between walls until landing silently onto the narrow street between buildings. Guess he wasn’t just muscle, good. It was boring to deal with dumb bricks.  
Despite of his size and bragger attitude he didn’t seem the usual though. Where the usual preys were just trying to show Anna her place, she as the prey feral, this guy seemed to think. Observing her with his dark brown eyes that had sharp, malicious tone in them. He was tall and brawny but he moved with flexibility and awareness, taking in his surroundings while moving.  
He maybe had that overconfidence smirk on his bearded face, amused and eager, but he wasn’t all talk and force.  
This could be fun.  
Logan should have introduced them before.

* * *

  
Victor was pleased to see the frail hadn’t yet started to cower from him. She seemed to look him through just as he was observing her. She was shivering occasionally, but without smell of fear it was probably from cold.  
“Nice landing”, she broke the silence while putting her hands into coat pockets. “So, what you want… Cat? Or hog?”

  
The smirk widening Sabretooth couldn’t help it, answering humorously.  
“Meow”, came in low voice as he started walking towards the female. “And you, frail?”  
She didn’t seem to have much on her, not any noticeable feral things. So he guessed level one mutant.  
As she made a scolding sound Victor stopped in small distance from her.  
“Manners _puss_ ”, the name made him chuckle, the way she spoke amusing him greatly. “ _You_ are in _my_ territory; I make the questions. And now what you want? I told when Logan would be here.”  
  
This frail really acted like she had any chance or could at all fight back against him. Jimmy really had chosen differently this time. Now, if she would just stand against couple of strikes, Victor would give it to his baby brother.  
“Just interested”, he said good naturally, starting to walk around the woman, looking her up and down. “Wanted to see the frail that Logan is interested in.”  
Her sudden laugh caught him.  
“Why is it always hard to see a girl and a guy just friends… But hey”, she snapped with a snarl. Victor halted. “Whatever it is between you two, you his ex-boyfriend or something, keep it to yourselves. I'm not interested.”  
Scowl found its way to Victor’s face.  
“No. This isn’t about Jimmy boy”, he answered now seriously. “I just wanted to see how brave you think you are.”  
  
The situation settled into grave tone after that, the two ferals standing and glaring at each other without any amusement.  
Sabretooth waited the frail to run, or attack. She seemed to wait something similar from him.  
And as both of them just waited for another, the tension started stretching like a violin’s string. And when the string just keeps stretching, it will eventually come to its limits.  
And then it  _snaps_.

There was no way saying which one of them moved first. They just suddenly acted as the other one did.  
  
The feral male leapt forward on all fours, his long claws taking grip from the street’s surface and his legs kicking against it to give more speed. The feral female run towards him, openly and right from front.  
Sabretooth was ready to greet her with a warm hug.  
But right before the impact, he jumping towards her, she crouched in last minute and instead slide past under him.  
Snarling the beast mutant landed to crouch and twirled around to chase after.  
The frail wasn’t going to run this time either.  
The woman was right behind him, side kicking his head with raised leg.  
It wouldn’t have been a problem, as Sabretooth was who he was, _if_ the frail’s legs weren’t made from damn concrete!  
Because that wasn’t a normal kick that sent the predator man flying and then sliding against snowy ground, head pounding with open wound on the side of his head.  
  
Trying to get right back up Victor instead bent and hold his head as his vision swayed and unfocused on and off. He saw the bitch as a blurry dot not far from him, just waiting there for him. Anger passing through Sabretooth forced himself up, glowering and snarling. Feeling the bleeding wound already knitting itself together.  
The glaring frail huffed.  
“Healing factor. Fucking nice.”  
“I’m gonna rip those pretty eyes of yours frail”, he growled while touching the disappeared wound and seeing his blood on his hand.  
“Yeah yeah”, she called back, not faced by the threat. “And I’m gonna wear your claws and teeth as necklace.”  
Victor barked out a laugh, despite of the situation. The frail did have a sense of humor.  
But enough of chatting.  
  
The next round started and this time Victor was cautious of the frail’s legs.  
They both dodged, moved and jumped, spinning and running around each other in full silence. Moved nonstop, the fresh snow flying around them and shadows dancing across the ground.  
Sabretooth started making risky attacks, suffering kicks from the woman.  
He could take full kicks from her right to his head but he needed to land just one good hit and she was out. It was the fact, that she also had to knowledge soon.  
Especially as she kicked him towards a wall and at the same time he dashed his claws against her thigh, ripping through fabric and drawing out blood from flesh.  
Her yell of pain was good to finally hear.  
Shaking off the impact the mutant male rose back to his feet, seeing the woman grimacing and her injured leg shaking. She could still move it though and she was pissed off.  
But Sabretooth got her and now she knew where they stood.  
Raising his bloodied claws he gave a show, just for her, and after sniffing the gore he licked the red liquid from his talons with slow swipes.  
Looking at her with satisfied smirk at the same time.  
“Getting tired already?”  
“Heh, just taking it easy.” She still had the confidence. Good. “And don't forget puss: this is my territory, so I will teach every one of you damn ferals, every time, not to play here without my permission.”  
She started to take off her jacket and sweater, leaving her in dark long sleeved shirt, jeans and boots.  
  
He was more interested about her words though than her action.  
“ _You damn ferals_? And what are _you_ then?” She was a mutant, no doubt about it. “Or no matter, I’ll see it soon.”  
This time the frail run when he came straight on, but instead of going there where people were, she instead retreated to empty docks.  
There she was full on running, making sharp turns and avoiding his advances. It would have been a fun chase if she just would have smelled of fear… Without it, Victor could only wonder what she was up to. The docks were maze like, full of buildings, cargos and boats.  
Soon he noticed the frail was faster than he, it being difficult to keep her in his view. And she clearly knew her way around, despite how much Sabretooth tried to circle her.  
Then she just disappeared, and moment of confuse the feral man halted. Not seeing nor hearing her anymore he sniffed, finding the scent easily in the air.  
Like smoke, dark and spicy with hint of alcohol from the bar.  
Following it Sabretooth wondered had she after all runaway because of the scratches? What a disappointment that would be. Especially when she still hadn’t smell of-  
Coming to shelters, where fish was measured, cut and cleaned, Victor hold his nose. Buckets and barrels full of fish guts and blood, from weeks it seemed for how it burned his nostrils as he had taken another whiff to smell the woman.  
Growling he looked around. The bitch’s scent was overpowered by the guts and their disintegration so he wasn’t able to smell her out at all.  
Clever girl…

* * *

  
Looking from her hiding place in near warehouse Anna observed the beast man through a crack on wall. She had been right, the fish place always got them and their sensitive noses off guard.  
Smirking she took a better hold on the big icepick that she was planning to bury into the man’s head.  
Healing factor or not, big damage to the brain would do the trick to give her enough time to cut the guy into pieces and get rid of them.  
She didn't take kindly of aggressive ferals in her territory.  
  
Letting herself relax for a moment, feeling injured leg still stinging, Anna calmed down for a moment. She kept keeping an eye on the feral who was still looking around.  
He was cautious and holding his nose.  
It would be better to strike before he would wander off from the fish place.  
Anna glanced down to take out a coin, then looked at the warehouse’s large, opened doors which were next to her. Good spot to ambush. Had worked many times before.  
Wanting to leer him in and knock the bastard out from behind she threw the coin to other side.  
After that, she waited for him to come with icepick ready. Looking for any shadows on the floor, when the man would approach the open doors, but nothing happened for awhile.  
And looking through the crack again she didn’t see him anymore at the shelters. But where then he-  
  
Every hair on Anna's neck rose, cold sweeping through her when she heard breathing. Close, right on the other side of the wooden wall, right next to her. She hadn't noticed him moving closer.  
Anna felt string of fear. And Sabretooth smelled it.


	3. You don't spare me

Excited to finally smell clear fear from his prey Sabretooth let out a deafening roar and plunged through the decrepit wooden wall.  
Arms spread with lengthened claws and teeth bared the man’s eyes locked with the frail's. She was petrified, to the core, staring at him like a doe in lights and unable to react nor move.  
Easily she fell under him, trapped and full of fear, staring up to him.  
  
Strong feeling of satisfaction filled Sabretooth.  
Had the frail really thought he was going to fall to the obvious distraction? Not thinking she was making a trap to him? She had shown she was not clumsy nor stupid to alert him if she didn't want to.  
She really had underestimated him.  
And now he could smell fresh blood from the back of her head and most importantly, her fear.  
The scent was cold and prickly, mixing into her dark scent of hers.  
Sabretooth had to swallow to keep the sound of purring quiet, smirk on his face widening and eyes full of want to make the frail scream.  
  
“Now”, he started in unnaturally calm voice. “That was fun darling, really.”  
The body under him quivered, her lips trembled. Lifting one clawed finger the feral male lightly caressed the side of her face, the tip ever so gently against the marked skin. So many others had tried this one, leaving their marks after failing. And now he would give the last ones to her.  
“But no one matches Sabretooth.”

* * *

Those dark eyes, full of want to hurt and dominate… Anna had seen those kind of eyes once before in her life, in her childhood. Always haunting her from above, causing fear of what to come.  
The memory, the fact that this bastard on top of her had caused her to remember and feel fear… It made her angry, the feeling igniting deep inside her and burning down everything else like spark of raging fire.  
She felt around the ground with her right hand, finding the handle of the icepick.  
“ _Fuck_ ”, she hissed in venomous tone: “ _You_.”  
And thrust the icepick into the man’s side.

* * *

He had not thought the frail still had will to fight back, the fear all over her just a second ago.  
But like lightning gasoline the smell of fear suddenly changed into anger without any warning and then the bitch stuck a fucking icepick into him! The metal thrust into between his ribs.  
The surprising agony erupted into furious roar, Victor’s body shaking as he looked down to see the tool. Then he was punched to his hurt side as the bitch escaped from under him.  
  
Falling to his other side Sabretooth clenched his jaw, gasping through nose and started ripping the icepick out. The wound would quickly heal but it still hurt like a bitch.  
And speaking of bitch…  
Giving the last yank to get it out the feral male pointed the bloody tool towards the glaring woman.  
“That… Was not smart.”  
Getting up while grunting he saw her turning and running towards the warehouse’s backdoor.

* * *

The back of Anna’s head had been hurt when the beast man had tackled her. The roaring of his had not helped, and so she was feeling nausea and pain. She needed to get away from him, until she could focus properly.  
Getting to the building's backdoor Anna turned to open it but then at the same time she so narrowly missed the flying icepick. It got stuck into the wall right next to her head. Or maybe she hadn’t dodged it, she looking back to the slowly approaching man.  
“Where you going?” he growled.  
Not answering the female mutant got out of the building and run away from the docks.  
  
Okay, she had _maybe_ been too eager to kick the shit out of the predator and not thinking the possibility that maybe, maybe the bastard could be level _five_ mutant.  
She had never before fought against that level mutant.  
This was just like with the first one, the four leveled mutant that Anna had hard time to kill back then. And with sheer luck she had kicked the mutant so that their head had landed in front of activated circular saw.  
Most likely she wouldn't be that lucky this time.  
  
Anna decided to ran out of the village. She definitely wouldn’t run to her apartment; he would just follow her. And she couldn’t go to the bar, or maybe she should, but… Too many things could get mixed up. And if the man killed any villagers she would be in lot of trouble.  
So, injured or not, the predator having healing factor or not… Anna didn’t have any other choice than to keep running past the buildings, up the hill and into the forest. This thing wouldn’t settle by just running away, she needed more freedom to act without worry of outsiders.  
Running up the hill Anna could hear the predator. He was right behind.  
Faltering heart made the woman frown in anger.  
  
Damn bastard… Making her feel fear. Tackling her. Intimidating her in her territory. Chasing after her.  
It made Anna's blood boil.

* * *

The two ferals continued to fought in the forest. Just two shadows among tall spruces, one chasing another and other dodging and running away while trying to get as much of distance between them as possible.  
It was snowing even more heavily now, rime covering the forest floor completely.  
  
Victor didn’t feel like playing anymore with the frail. The amusement had run out when she pulled that stupid stunt with the icepick. Right now, he just wanted to rip her into shreds.  
She wasn’t running as fast as before, faltering occasionally, maybe because of the head injury. He would catch her with time, either she stumbling or getting tired or-  
Then the frail again surprised him, she sure was full of those, as she suddenly whirled around, eyes flaring and dodging his attack with counter strike.  
But not with her legs. She had a weapon.  
She pulled out a butterfly knife, letting it open and slashed at him. Succeeding to cut open Victor’s cheek, nose and his left eye.  
  
A booming roar shook the near trees as Victor lunged towards the woman, clawing her stomach.  
  
Again they circled each other, she trying to kick and slash him and he trying to bite and claw her.  
But where Sabretooth was strong, agile and fast the woman was faster and more agile.  
He could only give minor wounds as the female mutant always got away in nick of time. Where Victor’s mutant abilities were high by being class five, the frail made up to her low level with experience, will and training.  
It was actually… Respectable.  
  
Sabretooth though with grim that the frail wouldn’t last long though, as her wounds kept bleeding and their fight lengthening. The woman’s fight against him was in vain. She would finally just collapse and he could do anything he wanted to her.  
  
But… Now as he knew… Had experienced the _pleasure_ of making her even if just crack, finally making her feel fear for just a moment…  
Victor didn’t like the idea of their fight ending to her collapsing from exhaustion and bleeding. There would be nothing enjoyable about that.  
She had given him a challenge. She didn’t let herself fear him, fighting back even if knowing she wouldn’t win, surprising him again and again with her will not to yield.  
And when back at the warehouse she finally had feared him… He really had to work for it and it was arousingly gratifying when she finally did.  
It would be just a shame…  
  
So Sabretooth stopped, completely, the woman doing the same.  
Both mutants panted, sweat and blood on them as they stared at each other.

* * *

Anna wasn’t sure why the other one had suddenly halted, but it was just good. She needed a minute to get her stamina back, she being covered with wounds from the predator’s hits and they kept stinking like hell. He in other hand probably had healed every damn bone and organ she had damaged with kicks or the wounds her knife had given.  
  
A part of Anna knew she was continuing already lost fight, but so what?  
Should she just get to her knees, beg and cry, plead for her life? Or just surrender into death? Is that what she should do? Just give up and act like she didn’t want to live at all?  
That she hadn’t fought for her life through years, survived from her father and all the other mutants who came after her?  
Should she give up when one more powerful mutant was better than her?  
Fuck. No.  
She was not like that. That's not the way she was raised.  
  
“What?” Anna finally hissed, breathing in cold air. “Already giving up?”  
“No.”  
She scowled, wondering what the puss was up to. Trying to get her lower her guard? A bitter feeling settled when she saw the man smirking, then he answered.  
“I’m gonna let you go, for now.”  
  
Utterly dumbfounded Anna blinked several times, not sure how to react. What the fuck was going on? The feral male could not be too exhausted nor wounded not to continue the fight.  
The bastard _laughed_ at her reaction.

* * *

The face on the frail was priceless, amusing Victor to the very core as he liked how _he_ had surprised _her_ for a change. He couldn’t just let this prey of his die poorly.  
“Yeah”, he simply said with a smile that seemed to piss off the woman even more. Victor started walking in lazy cat like manner towards the tensed feral. “I’m gonna let you go, let you heal.”  
The more he smiled and the more he spoke in taunting tone to her, the more she seemed to get angry.  
It was entertaining. She would keep him company just nicely until Jimmy boy would get here at spring.  
“Let you rest.”  
So no breaking and killing her, not just yet.  
“And when you have recovered, I’ll come for you”, he promised, hearing a snarl coming from the frail. He stopped approaching.  
“And then end you. And I will enjoy of it.”  
He would. He would make her fear him so much she could not turn it into anything else. Just fear him.  
Giving one last look at the frail Victor turned around, pleased with the situation. Pleased with the silent rage the female feral had fell into. Maybe a week would be enough to the woman. Let her wounds heal enough. He would give her that much ti-  
A sudden pain between his shoulders made him halt with a grunt, wince forming to his lips until he snapped back towards the frail.  
The woman was in the end of a throwing position, empty hand stretched towards him.  
Her butterfly knife was missing… Did she just throw her knife at his back _after_ he was letting her go!?  
  
“Don’t turn your back on me!”  
  
There was a limit how much Victor would take from anyone to amuse himself. And she officially reached his limit. Letting out a vicious sound, deep in his throat, Sabretooth turned and ripped the weapon out of his back.  
Throwing the stupid thing into snow he gave a murderous look, claws lengthening from his fingertips. He half hunched like a stalking animal.  
The beast man slowly started to approach.


	4. Breaking the ice

As the knife had drawn back the predator’s attention, he coming towards with murderous look, Anna took a step back.  
Truth to be told, she hadn’t really thought what next. She had just acted, angry from how the feral man had acted like she was nothing else than just a plaything. Like a wounded mouse that a cat would play with, not killing nor letting go, until it got bored.  
  
So, wounded and tired Anna couldn’t keep herself from panicking, the animal side taking over, when the beast man's movements started to fasten and his poser get more hunched that he was almost on all fours.  
Turning Anna dashed away when the other mutant started to lung toward.  
Again the forest was filled by a furious roar, Anna feeling her heart beating with mix of fear and will to survive. Animal side taking over without her noticing.  
Her eyes seeing the world now as a prey does, looking for a way out, a hiding place, safety. She jumped and run with more speed and fluent movement, zigzagging to make the chasing beast’s attempts to jump on her harder.  
Sensitive ears were hearing the male feral’s heavy, growling like breathing and how he was rushing after her.

* * *

Sabretooth noticed the change on the fleeing woman. How her movements turned into hastier and more prey like. She wanted to escape. There was the hint of fear again, getting slowly stronger as he kept chasing her.  
But it didn’t amuse nor pleased Sabretooth now.  
He was too angry, he had run out of patience and humor with this bitch. She wanted to fight until death? She would get it.  
Running on all fours the feral lunged and jumped, speeding from tree trunks and stones, keeping up with the running prey but not just yet catching her.  
But she would slowdown from exhaustion while he could still go on for hours.

* * *

The two mutants run out of the forest into a clearing and starting to cross it.  
And they didn't notice something.  
Victor didn’t know about it and Anna didn’t remember at that state of mind. But when the woman's other leg suddenly went through the ground, swallowed by icy water up to her knee and she stumbled to halt, the feral female’s human consciousness rushed back.  
She immediately realized they had run into middle of large frozen lake. The unstable ice had formed maybe just couple of weeks ago.  
  
The woman on her one knee could hear the ice cracking under as she started pulling her leg up. Then she heard the predator mutant closing the distance between them quickly. Looking she saw him reading himself to jump onto her.  
“No, stop! NO!”  
He jumped. And as he landed on top of her, claws digging into her shoulders, the ice broke under them and both of them were swallowed by dark, cold water.

* * *

The sudden wet chillness spreading through every muscle in his body was shocking.  
It forced Victor to jam for a moment, return from the primal chase he had fell into and come aware of the situation the woman had lured him into. They were in a freaking frozen lake, just how desperate this stupid bitch was to get him!?  
  
He needed to get out the water and fast. Even with is healing factor this was bad. His muscles were reacting to the sudden coldness, heart rating accelerating rapidly as the instinctively need to breath obliged him.  
  
Both ferals thought the same thing: they needed to get out of the water.

* * *

Feeling distantly the bastard letting go Anna tried to fight through the sudden panic that followed by falling into icy lake.  
Clumsily she tried to move her arms, not to breath underwater and fighting against her body’s natural reaction to hyperventilate. Images flashing in her mind she tried to keep her mind clear but past was filling her. There maybe wasn’t down holding hands this time, but falling into the depths of lake was just as substantial.  
  
Then, seeing the swimming man, who had pushed her into the water, created a spark inside the prey feral.  
The truth is... There had been many times when Anna’s life should have ended. So many times in fact, that maybe she was just a walking corpse who tried to act like a living human being, only moving and breathing by will.  
As from the moment she had turned into a mutant, her nature as a prey feral with low leveled powers revealed, she had been treated like a broken thing that should be fixed. Not something that would be chased and killed by others but the other way around. By beating the prey instincts out of her, shaming, scaring and hurting her so that she would turn into what had been excepted from her.  
And in the end it had worked, in its own way. She was still alive after all.  
  
By learning that cowering and showing fear, petrifying in front of a threat, would only bring more bad things Anna was forced to change. Transforming her abilities as a prey feral, like speed and agility, hearing and sense of danger, into her weapons rather than tools to flee.  
The agitated feelings and impulses that her prey side felt in front of a threat made her instead of fear to be angry. Sparking her to fight with everything she had, feeling the need to push the _others_ down and make them _her_ prey instead of _she_ cowering on the ground.  
How dare they to look her down?  
How dare they decide her to be worthless and weak?  
How dare they try to submit her into being a prey just because she had the nature of one?  
When they didn’t even know what she was capable of, that they should be cautious of her?  
Not knowing her want to hurt anyone who even though she was less worthy, because she was a prey feral?  
  
And then they would act all surprised when she proved them wrong. When instead of bleating she growled, instead of running she fought, instead of cowering she attacked back.  
She wasn’t a prey feral. That wasn’t her true nature. She was a feral who looked like a prey.  
She was a predator who wore prey’s skin. She was just as predator as this feral man fighting against her.  
And with that same anger, that always fueled her into action, helped her even now through the panic to get to the surface.

* * *

Victor gasped for every breath as he resurfaced. Every muscle fidgeting as he pushed ice pieces out of his way to get to the hole’s edge. It was easy for him to get up, claws digging down as he dragged himself up.  
Then for a moment he collapsed to lay down, shivering and just breathing there.  
Cursing in his mind he knew he needed to move soon. The motivation found him as he heard the bitch splashing in the water hole.  
Getting half up he watched as she tried to get out of the water, clattering her teeth and hissing, scraping the ice with bare hands. Her attempts to get up were clearly not working.  
She would not get out of the water, she would lose her consciousness and die by drowning or freezing.  
  
Getting up to sit Victor watched her attempts for a moment.  
Then, getting up, he slowly started to circle the hole, to the side where the female was clinging onto the edge. Hugging himself he stopped right in front of her, her situation putting a smile onto his face.  
How helpless she was now, after all those moments of not giving up and keeping him on his toes.  
  
Now… What should he do? Kick her onto her face and let her drown? Stomp her fingers, forcing her away from the edges?  
Though, drowning her would be too kind, as she wasn’t even begging him to help her. Victor really would like to hear that. But no, she was just shivering there and glaring, ready to die right now rather than to submit to him. Watching her Sabretooth huffed.  
She really was stubborn one wasn’t she? Victor wasn’t sure should he be amused or impressed by it, although he couldn't deny that the woman hadn't done those already.  
Watching the freezing woman he wondered what to do...  
  
Finally the feral predator crouched and offered his hand to the female.  
And after a second she grabbed onto it, letting him pull herself up. The feral man didn’t have any trouble to lift the woman. But he didn’t help her onto the ice.  
Instead, the man getting up, he hold the prey by her arm and kept her dangling above the edge of the hole in the ice. He was damn cold but he so wanted to enjoy of this moment of her helplessness.  
  
...Until she grabbed on his hand, and kicked as hard as she could against his chest while pulling from his arm.  
Surprised and air knocked out Victor was pulled back into the water and his arm dislocated from shoulder. Getting back to surface, panting and growling for his already healing but still damaged arm, Sabretooth turned to see the bitch half over the edge.  
Growling he grabbed onto her left ankle. Feeling her shivering and tensing from his touch.  
And then he heard people, shouting and calling as they approached from the forest, seeming to look for the now weak woman.  
  
“Anna!”  
“Where are you!?”  
  
Cursing, not wanting to deal with the villagers now in his condition by freezing from cold, Victor let go of the feral female. Hauling himself out of the water with one arm the feral hurried away from the lake, disappearing into the forest.


	5. Half time

The cellar is dark and damp. The chill radiating from stone walls and floor, stealing warmness every second from the boy’s skinny form.  
He was curled up in a corner, heavy chains around wrists preventing him from moving to any warmer nor cleaner place. The child couldn’t move away from his own filth so he tried desperately to get some shredded fabric and newspaper under him. Trying to keep somewhat dry or separate his half naked body from the cold floor. But the filth soaked into anything he got under him.  
Piss, crap, vomit, blood and rotting carcasses, all those were under and around him, half covering him.  
He was like a goddamn rabid mutt in middle of his own filth and food with no way to get rid of it.  
Carcasses he pushed away, but other things...  
The boy didn’t like this. He didn’t like to be dirty. Or cold nor hungry. He didn’t want any of this. He didn’t… He didn’t mean it.  
He didn’t mean to hurt Luther. Definitely not ki- Kill him! The boy would swear it in front of God: he didn’t mean to bit into his brother’s throat. It was an accident! He didn’t meant to hurt Luther.  
He just… He was just angry, wanted that stupid piece of pie that Luther was going to eat right in front of him. He didn’t meant to bite Luther but instead the piece of pie, he swears.  
But when he had tried, instead of strawberry jam he had felt a weird, irony taste while biting, not seeing the blood or feeling Luther’s twitching body under him before mom screamed and-  
He didn’t… He didn't mean it…  
  
Trembling in a tight ball the boy heard footsteps above him, someone moving upstairs.  
The sounds were heavy, making his heart beating faster. The young boy shivered from a new reason. And the feeling like paralyzing ice through his back kept getting worse as the footsteps boomed over him, heading towards the cellar door.  
He was coming, father was coming.  
Mother’s voice was pleading as her footsteps, much lighter, kept walking next to father’s.  
_"Please Thom- Please not tonight, please! Thomas!"  
_ …Victor was sorry. For everything and anything he had done to earn this. He was so, so sorry. He was, he promised. Please, please father…  
He didn't mean it to happen. He didn’t want to kill Luther, it was an accident!  
_"THOMAS PLEASE!"_  
  
Victor woke up and shivered uncomfortably.  
He was cold. And then he was hot. Then cold and then hot and again the same repeating.  
It was like waves of those extreme temperatures were hitting over him one after another. His muscles were trembling uncontrollably. He had a thick layer of sweat covering his face and body.  
And he didn't know where he was, but it was dark there and the ground was hard and cold, having strong scent of mold.  
Another uncomfortable wave of hot and cold hit him.  
Grunting the large man tried to focus to push himself up. He couldn't stay here, he needed to get to somewhere warm or this hell wouldn't stop. His healing factory was working but it needed help.  
His vision kept chancing from unfocused and back, his breathing coming out as steam.  
And he didn't have his jacket nor shirt… Where the hell did he drop it and why?  
Focus…  
First, the right hand, settling it against the stony ground. Then his left hand. Then push up, now.  
"Co- Come… O-on asshole…"  
Dragging knees with abrupt movements under him the shaking man waited for a moment to gather his strength. It would be so easier to just lay here but it wouldn’t be smart.  
With one sharp movement Victor pushed himself up, but instantly started to fall back. Luckily he stumbled backwards and hit his back against a stony wall and gasping he leaned against it for support.

Fuck he was cold.  
Where he even… Was…?  
Frowning he glanced around, feeling weird kind of… Familiarity with the cold, stony room he was in. The wooden pillars and assorted junk, the stairs leading to upper floor where natural light leaked in from open door. The room he was in was otherwise without other doors nor any windows.  
Victor swallowed, unknown and unsettling feeling arising inside, realizing what this room was.  
It was a cellar.  
How the hell had he ended up in a fucking cellar…?  
Pushing himself off from leaning against the wall the feral man started moving. With stiff legs and shaking form he tried to keep up. He shook his head weakly when he heard a weird sound, it coming clearer as another wave of cold and hot wiped over him.  
_"Thomas!"_  
Aaaa sh- Shit. Heh, hallucinating… Fu- Fucking… Lov- Lovely.  
_"Come here boy!"_  
"Fu… Off…" Victor muttered, feeling weak and with one arm took support from something.  
His hand slipped and he fell over some junk pile that spread everywhere under him. Angry roar tried to make out of him but dryness in his throat blocked it. He could just keep gasping for air.  
_"I didn't seed some damn demon… I'm gonna fix you son, for good."  
  
_ The mutant let out a short, coarse laugh as he pushed himself back up.  
"Yeah yeah", he spoke with a wide smile, laughing again until he coughed hard. He knocked down something from a wall while taking support again, it something falling down with metal jingling.  
Looking down he saw spare of shackles and stared at them dumbfounded.  
Was this his hell? Had he finally,  _finally_ , managed to die? By some fucking low prey feral? By damn cold?!  
He laughed again, full heartily. It was so… So wrong to die like this, so lamely by something like this. It was actually pretty funny!  
Great Sabretooth, not killed by gun, other mutant, his baby brother, war, poison or anything dramatic. Just by hypothermia!  
_"I will fix you boy!"_  
Swiping weakly with one hand, like that would silence the hallucinated voices, the beast man growled.  
"Yeah yo- You di- Did pa", he stuttered, taking another step towards the stairs.  
Yeah, his pa did fix him for good, didn’t he? Every time he pulled out his son's teeth and claws, every time Thomas beat him to ground, he did fix Victor. Ever so better Victor was after every treatment.  
And then… Then Jimmy boy, just a small and sickly runt, fixed Thomas in turn, for good!  
The giggling mutant stumbled and fell to the first steps of the stairs, clinging to the wood like it was a lifesaver.  
But… Thinking it, really thinking this whole thing, everything that happened and so on…  
Without that drunk piece of shit, Victor- No, not Victor…  
_Sabretooth_ , wouldn't be now. Thomas really fixed his son, yeah.  
  
Dragging himself up with every strength Victor had in his weak stated body, the beast man chuckled darkly.

* * *

A child, not older than six summer, run in forest at night.  
She was barely enough covered, just with a tank top and boxers covering against the elements.  
The coldness bit into skin through thin fabric, licked her shaven head and prickled against naked legs.  
Every step  _hurt_  as sharp stones, branches, pins and uneven ground on the forest floor dig into flesh.  
She was wet from sweating, cold from lack of cloth and tired, so tired.  
Hours of running nonstop. Nerves on constant edge.  
The little girl wanted to stop, she wanted to rest. She was hurting. Her lungs were burning and her muscles where trembling.  
But if, if she did stop…  
Her top's back was already clawed to ruins, many shallow claw marks running across her back and covering blood congealed. Under the dirt there were many deep colored bruises. Her left ribs, where she had been kicked, hurt with every breath that she couldn't stop crying.  
  
But she couldn’t stop.  
Because whenever she was starting to slow down, feet wobbling and chest rising and falling in heavy, fast movements…  
Every time she did that she would feel  _his_  presence, hearing  _his_  growling and seeing  _his_  movements in the shadows. Knowing if he catches her  _lazing around_ , father would hurt her. Badly. Again and again.  
Track her across the forest floor and yelling so that her ears would ring and her body suffering from being shaken like a ragdoll. The shaking wasn't the worst though, nor the clawing, but it was the kicks and punches. How the force behind them cut deeper than claws, making her feel nausea and aching.  
So the girl  _needed_  to keep running, if she didn't want to feel pain.  
The fear was what kept her moving.  
But when the body doesn't have any more energy, no more to use to keep going, it gives out despite of the state of mind. Sending the little girl flat against the undergrowth.

And not even a second later _he_ was coming, the child hearing his footsteps.  
Father was coming.  
The girl crawls, cries, begs, tries, promises but she can't go on anymore. Her legs are giving away every time she tries. Like a newborn baby cow trying to stand for the first time.  
There is nothing she can do.  
And when big, dirty bare foot slams against her back, the claws digging into flesh, the child cries from terror and agony.  
The moon illuminates the large shadow across her.  
Like telling she can never outrun him, never fight back. That she can never keep herself save from what he does to her.  
The leg puts more force onto the girl, the claws digging deep into the muscles.  
_"I didn't say stop, **prey**."_  
  
Anna wakes, despite of the nightmare or bad memory, calmly.  
Eyes slowly opening she feels warm, comfortable and groggy. Above her the feral sees familiar worn wood ceiling. She recognizes it as her room’s ceiling.  
  
Anna lives by herself in a small apartment, with three rooms, above the village’s restaurant in two story building. The apartment is small but cozy, home like, mostly because of Anna’s friend Sarah who likes to decorate the place. Always bringing in lots of pillows, blankets, curtains, cushions and some nature things.  
Anna isn’t against the action as Sarah knows how much she likes to lay, sit and sleep comfortably and warmly, surrounded by softness.  
And Sarah… Was Anna’s friend.  
The human was warm and soft person, tolerable as normal human, acting motherly towards Anna. Despite that Sarah was a short brunette, she could also be stern and fearless, even against angry Anna. And the mutant didn’t want to fight against the only person she saw as her friend.  
  
Shifting under thick layer of blankets Anna got more comfortable, sinking into the overstuffed bed. Closing and again opening her eyes she then saw movement at the edge of her gaze.  
There was a man sitting next to her.  
The man was old looking, bald with thick greying red beard and was dressed casually.  
The old man was Joseph, or most villagers called him Old Josh, and he was the owner of the bar that Anna worked in. And he was Anna’s adoptive father and Gary’s biological dad.  
Before the bar he had worked as lumberjack and fought in a war, losing his right leg in it. He was broad and strong looking, big belly hanging over pelt and a long scar at his left side of his face.  
His serious looking grey eyes settled from reading newspaper to awakened Anna.  
Not saying first anything the old man folded the paper.  
“How are you feeling?”  
  
Swallowing, feeling her throat dry, the woman tried to answer in raspy voice.  
“Sleepy.”  
“Understandable”, the man said in calm manner. Putting away the newspaper he rose up, wobbled closer and helped Anna into sitting position. Then he gave her a glass of water and after that sat back down.  
Looking at her with steady gaze he asked next.  
“...Remember what happened last night?”  
Buying some time to remember the feral mutant took a sip.  
“…Pieces. Yelling, and some lights.” Then with a bit alertness she started: “The man? With me, where-“  
“Run off. Others think he was just a big animal escaping. They didn't approach after him.” Joseph explained and Anna nodded, letting her head fall against upholstered bed’s end.  
Now, as sleepiness was lifting away with the talking, she felt some bandages around her head, body, arms and legs. It was good to know a doctor, and have as a friend one.  
The oldster and the femme fell into silence, not looking at each other. Anna let memories from last night slowly come back.  
  
Remembering the idiot getting both of them into the icy lake and he offering his help like a damn savior. Holding her up with ease with that stupid grin on his face. She had wiped it out though, with that stunt of hers…  
The feral woman hold back from smiling, feeling the old man’s stare on her. She could sense concern and something else she didn’t want to give a name to.  
“Gary told me about the suspicious man. And that you said it was nothing. Then Sarah didn’t find you from your apartment and found your jacket outside.”  
Joseph looked with heavy stern gaze, brows hunching over his eyes.  
  
“...You were lucky they found you.”  
Anna just nodded, still not looking at him.  
“Anna Roy, _look_ at me”, he demanded with ex soldier’s voice and she obeyed. They stared for a moment before Joseph continued.  
“Tell me, what happened?”  
She didn’t want to talk about it. About her mistakes and how she maybe had bitten more than she could chew. That her prey this time was a bit troublesome. That she had run away after aggravating the man, after he was going to let her go. But Anna knew better.  
“He’s probably level five”, she started. “Effective healing factor, animal senses, experienced in fighting and not afraid of risks… I underestimated him.”  
"I see that", the older man said, then sighed: "…This… This is not good Anna. I let you do what you do, I cover for you when needed. I don’t tell anyone. But I didn’t raise you with Gary because-"  
"Because you did felt pity", the woman accused, the anger flaring up as she glared. Her voice was low and bitter.  
"Because no-one else wanted to take care of fucked up kid. Because no-one else didn't want to face it that  _all of you_  knew what was going on at the cottage. Because you want to feel somewhat a man by doing _something_ right."  
She didn’t hesitate the words. She had every reason to be angry and bitter towards this whole village and its residents. She had every reason to hate and feel want to destroy the whole place…  
  
Old Josh swallowed, feeling his adopted child's feelings strongly.  
And he knew she did have every reason to be angry with all of them.  
But no-one can change the past and what was done back then.  
He couldn't say sorry because it wouldn't heal Anna’s wounds in her mind, because she wouldn't let them heal.  
"I felt pity at first", he admitted. "And responsible. And horror. I know you will not forgive, and no-one is going to ask or wait for it.”  
Willing her gaze to stay steady she cursed herself for losing control.  
"But I grow to respect your abilities to survive", Josh added. "And I understand your hatred.”  
He also had been tortured, not by mutants maybe, in the war, and so he somewhat understood Anna's way.  
She didn't want to give in for her past and its nightmares. She wanted to keep control of herself, and she believed to have it when she didn’t let any mutants settle into her territory for anything.  
Joseph had been amazed when he had seen Logan, _predator feral_ mutant, with Anna and that she accepted him.  
"…But I don't want you to get killed because of mistakes your hatred makes you to do."

Anna closed her eyes and breathed slowly in and out. Taking back the control.  
She didn't let them get to her.  
“I understand", she whispered, knowing her voice would start shaking if she spoke anymore louder. "And I will clean the mess I created. I will kill him. Or let him kill me. I won't get others mixed up into this."  
She hadn't before and she wasn't going now either.  
"…I'm sorry", she whispered more quietly. Her feelings towards villagers were clear, but towards Joseph and Gary… Not so. Bitterness and understanding taking turns, never balanced or one the clear winner.  
Then the woman felt a large hand petting her head, she not looking up.  
She wouldn't let them get to her.  
"I know, Anna."  
…She wouldn't.  
  
Now, she needed to focus on the beast man. He has turned to be the hardest prey so far, with his healing factor. She needed to find her way around it to kill the predator.  
She needed to fight against him again.  
And the thought tugged her corners into a small smile.

* * *

Almost a week passed.  
The first couple of days went by Victor getting over his fever, hunting for food and getting familiar with the cottage and its surroundings. The place he had wandered in back at that night seemed to be uninhabited. And isolated in the forest from the villagers or other people.  
Good for him.  
  
After he was back to his health Victor started to make trips to the village, to collect information about the feral woman. First he tracked down where she lived, finding the building and the apartment. But he did not visit her yet, even if the idea did come.  
Instead the mutant man climbed up to the building’s roof, and hanging from its edge by both hands peeked through a window into the woman’s apartment.  
Seemed she was still healing, covered on bandages and laying on overly stuffed bed at middle of a day. Glancing through the room and observing the window’s mechanism Victor studied.  
But despite of her condition the woman wasn’t any less cautious.  
She suddenly tensed, a book on her lap, and sensing her soon to lift her gaze Victor retreated. Hauled himself back onto the roof and staying still while listening.  
He didn’t hear anything after a minute, curiosity tingling on the back of his neck. Something warned him though, told him not to go back down and look again.  
And as always Sabretooth had, this time he also trusted his animal side and instead left the building.  
  
Which was the right decision, as the woman had taken out a handgun and pointed it towards the window for couple of minutes in high alert before slowly relaxing down.  
  
After that, the mutant man decided to leave the prey alone for now. Instead, he started listening around for rumors and conversations about the woman, following her ingrained scent everywhere and so finding information about her. Victor however couldn’t ask about the feral female directly, especially at the bar where she seemed to be most of her time.  
The bar owner’s son kept giving him suspicious glances there.  
Victor kinda enjoyed of this, stalking at the woman’s territory, collecting information about her and not being able to use violence or do anything direct unless wanting to alert her or the villagers who were suspicious of him too.  
It was fun not to follow his urges all the time but instead trying to constantly keep himself from beating the needed information out.  
  
Victor learned the woman’s name, that she was a loner and no-one knew she was a mutant. She was somewhat avoided too, bad talked when someone spoke about her. Then the beast man noticed that not everyone disliked the blondie. Some short brunette visited the woman almost every day, sometimes staying overnight.  
However, just by listening secretly others from shadows and sneaking around didn’t give Victor the information he wanted. About her past. She clearly had something against mutants, predator ferals more precisely, and the cat feline male wondered why. And was she really targeting only mutants, her own kind?  
Seemed like her fears and weakness laid where her past too.  
So guess it was time to make a more direct contact, and choosing the woman’s adoptive father Victor waited for the night.

* * *

As the bar closed for the night Joseph did his usual. Sending the tired workers to home and cleaning by himself the rest.  
He maybe was old and didn't work anymore but he still needed to do something now and then to keep himself entertained.  
No more did he have kids to look after and raise them.  
Gary had been an easy boy, a little trouble making one later maybe, but compared to Anna… It wasn't that she had been particularly difficult.  
She hadn't run around, causing trouble nor bothering others. The opposite actually, keeping to herself and keeping watch on everyone from a corner or some high place.  
Stopping for a moment from lifting chairs onto the tables the old man thought about Anna as a child. No-one should be so independent and tormented at that age but she had been. And Joseph had predicted the past to affect her future in some way.  
He just hadn’t predicted it to be the way it was nowadays. It maybe wasn’t right, even if she only hunted freaks who she would provoke to give her a reason to kill. And now she had bothered someone who was much stronger than her.  
Of course he was concerned about his adoptive daughter’s safety, but also concerned she would pull the whole village into the mix. There was rules of course, set by Joseph to Anna, but…  
The old man couldn’t trust on the woman completely.  
Not when he knew how she truly felt of the whole place and them, how they hadn’t done anything to help her back then. Not even when her mother went missing.  
A light tap made the senior almost jump from fright.  
And hearing it again Joseph turned, seeing a large man with sideburns and short thick hair standing outside.  
Again the stranger tapped the window with one of his long claws.

Joseph hesitated for a moment. But in the end, not wanting any trouble, decided to do as the stranger wanted.  
As the owner of the bar unlocked and opened the front door, the tall stranger was waiting right out there.

"How can I help?" the old ex-soldier asked and immediately sensed who the dangerous looking man was. As the threat was in everything this man did and was. The way he just stood there against the darkened scenery, looking down with dark eyes that had this glint of something that made Joseph feel fear.  
Those were eyes of a hunting beast.  
Even the smile the brawny stranger gave, with those sharp canines, was like a tiger opening its mouth.  


"First, can I come in?" the stranger asked with a tone that maybe was supposed to be genial but it came out more like oppressive.  
Joseph, despite of the sudden fear that was created by pure instincts, kept his calm face and step out of the doorway.  
Letting the stranger in.  
Closing the door he turned.  
The stranger was looking around, like seeing the place for the first time, walking around slowly and casually like a cat on stroll. Letting his hand to touch a worn, wooden table and one of his claws scraping the surface.  
He stopped, lifting his gaze at the senior.  
Old Josh didn't ask anything as he felt that whatever the stranger would ask or say, the stranger would do  _just_  what  _he himself_  wanted to ask or say. Or do.

So Old Josh waited, and soon the stranger started talking.  
"I want to ask about this woman who works here", he started moving again, there being powerful, flexible cat likeness how the man wandered around in Joseph's bar.  
"Blond, short haired. Light brown skin", the stranger walked to the counter, took out an empty glass and a beer bottle.  
  
Victor looked at the old man who smelled of fear but didn't show it outside. Family trade perhaps? Although Victor did know if she wasn’t this man’s cub.  
  
"Or maybe the most identifiable character of her could be the scarred face", the stranger wondered with thoughtfulness while pouring the bottle's content into the glass. Then he put the empty bottle onto counter, taking a long draught from the drink.  
And seeming to like the taste of the beer he licked his lips while staring at the old man.  
"Know who I'm talking about?"  
"…That would be Anna Roy", Joseph answered, still standing near the door. "She's my adopted daughter."

"I see", the stranger commented, looking with slight confusion. "She lives near?"  
The old man was quite for a moment, but then answered, without any kind of lie.  
"Yes. Four houses away from here, to the left. The one that has a restaurant."  
Victor wondered this to be a bit odd. And he admitted it straight on.  
  
"You know, this is a little bit strange to me", the stranger confessed, leaving the half empty glass on the counter and started stalking towards Old Josh.  
"You say, that she is your adopted  _daughter_ , but you… Well, usually when I ask from, for example, a father", he let out a chuckle while gesturing towards geezer who he was still approaching ever so slowly.  
"About their offspring, or any of their loved ones, they don't usually give out easily the info. Or they try to lie."  
The old man did smell of fear alright, clearly knowing the situation, but not showing any of it on his face nor the rest of his body. Victor started to see where the woman got her act.  
  
Victor took the last step closer and leaned towards the old man.  
"But you probably would give me  _anything_  I would ask about her. Wouldn't you?"  
Joseph turned his gaze fully on the mutant's eyes, not flinching from the stare of them.  
Victor didn’t like that gesture.  
"…She can take car-"  
The sentence was cut off as the old man was lifted high on the air by his throat. The long claws around his windpipe Joseph struggled and grabbed onto the holding hand.  
"What is it with the no-showing-fear?" It really was starting to annoy Sabretooth. "Guess the girl learned the bad habits from home."  
The old man chuckled to that.  
With low, miffed growl Victor slammed the man against a wall, loosening the grip so the geezer could speak.  
"If you kill me", the old man spoke: "To get to her… She would only act against your wish. She doesn't like to be pressured."

Sabretooth could kill the geezer just for the sake of it. It would be easy and he wouldn’t get caught.  
He could do that just now.  
But he  _wanted_  to get the bitch fearing him and what he could do to her and everything she cared for. So that, when he finally would get enough of her fear, she would be utterly shaking, pleading, shouting and crying mess. Having lost everything dear to her because of  _him_.  
Victor wanted to see that, smell and taste it from her. The utter fear, break her down.  
So no. No killing, not just yet.

Just dropping the old man to the floor with a disappointed snarl Victor stomped out through the door.  
Deciding to have enough of this sneaking and go right to the source of his current bad mood.

As the outdoor was opened and slammed shut, Old Josh was breathing heavily on the wooden floor, trying to calm his distressed heart that painfully beat against his chest.  
"Pa!" his son shouted as Gary run down the stairs after hearing the racket.  
"Pa you okay!?"  
"I'm fine son, I'm fine", Old Josh assured and let his son help him up. He would be just fine after some rest. But what came to Anna and the beast man…  
Joseph wished Anna knew what she had gotten herself into, and that her confidence to handle the situation wasn't just talking.  
That she would either kill this guy or die while killing him.


	6. Surprises

Something woke her up.  
A chilling nibbling on Anna's skin, slipping under covers and clothes, raising goosebumps by its touch like a snake.  
  
Drowsily the blond haired woman rubbed her eyes, pulling the thick blanket more around as she only wore boxers and a tank top.  
She let out a long yawn.  
Guess she had fallen asleep while Sarah had cleaned up the apartment. The human woman really had some strong urges to act like a mother hen towards friends, this cleaning being the third time this week... It would be just good if the brunette and certain redhead would get already married and have cubs that Sarah could take care of instead.  
As Anna did like get pampered by her short friend, she was still a grown person and so didn’t need a housewife.  
Another wave of cold made the mutant female to shiver and look towards the only window. It was open, the sash outside and so letting all the cold air in. Groaning Anna had to leave the warmness of her bed and sleepily cursing for Sarah leaving the window open.  
Just like other buildings in the village, this one too was old and so the airing was nothing in the apartments. But still, Sarah didn’t need to leave it open…  
  
Getting more and more awake from the haze Anna started to think more about this. She walking towards the window.  
...Sarah wouldn’t leave the window open, especially if Anna wasn’t awake or present to put it close after a short time.  
She wouldn't.

A sudden shudder made every hair on the prey feral's neck stood, every muscle twitch and her breath block for a moment. The sudden reaction in Anna's body, alarmed spike in her prey system, woke her up for good.  
Ears twitching, listening to every sound and her body standing completely still the feral female let her gaze wander. Anna's apartment was very small, there was no hiding places to anyone, especially for someone sized like _him_.

  
The breathing above made Anna jump backwards, almost crashing into her bed, and a large form fell soundlessly from ceiling.  
Not needing to see who it was the woman jumped over the bed and prayed Sarah hadn’t, in all her great motherhood, yet again taken away the weapons that Anna had hidden across the apartment.  
  
_“Anna, please. No normal person hides knives and- Is this an expandable baton?! Seriously, you are **paranoid**."_  
  
Yeah she was. She was paranoid because she believed that someone would sometime sneak into her home to kill her. Yes, she was completely paranoid! Hopefully there still was a knife under the bed’s edge because Anna kinda needed it _right now_!

* * *

The sight of the woman bolting away gave pleasant shivers to Sabretooth as he lunged after.  
He had been a bit worried when she had almost right away woke when he got in, he hurriedly climbing to the ceiling and the old panels barely holding his weight.  
But he had taken her completely by surprise.  
And now he had even the upper hand, the large feral man ramming the woman against a wall with his body. And keeping her there, tightly and secured so she couldn’t move even an inch between the wall and him, Victor pressing harder onto her.  
Victor laughed in humming manner, surprised and amused and pleased when the woman finally acted as she should towards him.  
  
She started to trash against him, trying to kick and hit behind, her breathing and heartbeats fast. Taking a hold of her hands the feral male twisted them above her and pressed the powerful legs of hers also against the wall with his knees.  
Victor greatly enjoyed of this, her squirming and twisting against him, doing everything to get free, almost in full panic and the scent of fear… Sabretooth inhaled deeply.  
The smell so good, the feeling of earning it making it so much better.  
Breathing the scent in the beast man brought his smirking mouth near the frail’s left ear, watching out as she still trashed around. Letting out low hushing sounds he waited for a moment, and then chuckled as she didn’t calm down. Like she would get away from him now.  
Couple of minutes passed before she finally stopped writhing, breathing heavily as Victor let the poor girl settled down.  
And as she now wasn’t moving, the feral man took a better look of her in the dim moonlight, predator gaze seeing just fine.  
  
He first looked at her blond hair, short and thick like rabbit’s fur, then at her neck and seeing couple of noticeable scares there.  
And more on her shoulders and her back, and even more peeking out from under the red top’s neckline.  
Many different marks, Victor identifying some of them from teeth, claws, different weapons and so on. Other brow raising the man wondered that she really had been in many fights, the impressive collection proving that.  
Curious, tilting his head more forward, Victor hold the woman’s arms with one hand and with other pulled the neckline downwards.  
To get a better view of what kind of scares laid under the cloth.  
The act however seemed too much for the female, as in next moment the back of the bitch’s head hit his face, breaking Victor’s nose.

* * *

Fucking bastardSon _O_ fWHORE **j** erkFace!  
Anna was going to kill the fucker slowly after this, she would rip his head off and ram it up his ass!  
At least she had broken something already from him, hearing the crunch as her head collide with the dickhead’s face. And now a deep, prickly growl vibrated against her back through the man’s torso.  
The feral woman was going to spit some curses but a hand grabbed the back of her head, claws scratching the scalp.  
Then there was dizziness and pain filling her mind as the predator hit her head against the wall.  
Then Anna was tossed into air.  
The feral man threw her into the bed, many layers of blankets and pillows notably softening the fall, as Anna fell onto her back.  
  
The bastard was on her again, swiftly jumping on top, knocking air out of her and trapping her effectively under him.  
Holding the woman's wrist down and being very mindful of her legs he crossed his own on top of them.  
Anna noticed how heavy the man was with all the muscles and large form. And she also, through dizziness, noticed the blood under his nose. It made her smile in turn.  
  
He clearly was angry about it though and Anna was not sure what he was going to do next. But as his bared teeth moved down, she immediately recognized the gesture.  
She barely got the hold of her lower lip, biting down on it, as the sharp predator canines sunk into her right shoulder.  
Eyes squeezing shut she bit harder onto her lower lip to keep every scream and whimper inside when the pain shot through. Panting through nose and swallowing down all the noises and tears.

* * *

Biting right around the muscle that went between neck and upper arm Sabretooth let out a noise. Satisfied guttural moan.  
The blood that filled his mouth, spurting right onto his tongue, was so sweetly warm and irony tasting. And biting down harder, creating more pressure, he felt the muscle between his teeth, so satisfyingly though.  
But he didn’t hear the frail screaming. They always screamed when he hurt them like this.  
Only a small, muffled whimper was to be heard.  
And the smell of spicy, tangy rage hadn’t gone but rather just deepened.  
  
Pulling his teeth away the mutant male glared down at the female. Seeing her biting her own lip to the point of bleeding, keeping in any noises and her eyes watering. After a moment of watching this, Victor couldn’t help it.  
He chuckled, in dark and warped way, the smirk forming to his face.  
The bitch was stubborn as hell. So much, that the feral predator couldn’t do anything else than to _admire_ her for it. Going so far as to hurt herself so not to give him the satisfaction of hurting her. And still not showing any fear towards him, only glaring as she opened those light hazel eyes of hers, blood drops sliding down her chin.  
  
The sight of that was arousing to Victor. Making a soft thrill start in his lower body and between his legs.  
And the feeling giving just the idea how to make the angry frail to scream in fear, or in something else.  
  
Again, taking a hold of the woman’s wrists with one hand, the beast man moved his free one between her legs and carelessly ripped the boxers. Clawing through fabric and throwing the shreds away with dark glow in his eyes Sabretooth kept the eye contact with the still glaring female. wondering what kind of face she would make soon.  
“You got to be kidding me”, the frail snarled finally.  
Starting to fumble with his own pants, not clawing them yet, Victor just chuckled again with dark eyes. It had been too long for him not to get a bit of fun with his preys.  
  
There was knocking at the apartment’s door.  
Both feral mutants halted and looked at the door. Then there was more knocking, which was followed by yelling.  
“Hey! What’s all the racket there?”  
  
“…Gonna answer that?”  
Glaring Victor growled silently to the woman, cupping her chin and pressing his claws against her scarred cheeks.

* * *

Male ferals, thinking with their dicks whenever there’s a female to be had. Probably this bastard’s greatest decisions were made by his lower head.  
Anna was a bit impressed that the feral predator heard and reacted to the knocking, probably all the blood hadn’t yet gone down _there_ then.  
  
But what to do now?  
Anna could scream and call for help. But probably her throat would get ripped and the neighbor killed before anything helpful could happen. The hand was already on her throat and claws against her cheeks.  
The man above her was giving clear warnings not to do anything stupid. The growl vibrating into her insides, dark eyes giving unspoken threats.   
And that made Anna want to do exactly the opposite she was pressured to do.  
  
But things were decided on behalf of them as the neighbor next said: “Okay, Anna? I’m coming in.”  
And then they started the attempt to bring the door down. The act would bring everyone else in the building to here soon.  
The feral male on top of Anna rose to his knees and turned more towards the door, ready to attack the savior.  
Of course she exploited the situation.  
Pulling hands free from the loosened hold the female mutant shamelessly punched the bastard to the crotch. And as the impact brought the large feral predator down to his side, paralyzed and breathless, Anna pulled herself from under him. He wasn’t done though, claws reaching towards her.  
  
But the woman’s legs were also now free and she didn’t hold back at all when kicking the bastard's head. That made the predator’s head snap in a wrong way in a wrong angle, a weird sound coming from it, and Anna watched as the beast man fell back onto the bed like a limp sack.  
And he didn’t move anymore after that.  
Anna however didn’t have time to confirm her suspicions as she hurried to the door, opening it so her half naked body wouldn’t be seen or her bloody shoulder. She probably had to stitch it later by herself, Sarah was out of the question.  
And she also couldn’t show the dead man on her bed.  
  
The neighbor, halted from crashing again against the door, stared at the woman.  
“Jesus Anna, what took you so long?”  
“I was gathering myself from floor, fell from bed and hit my face to nightstand”, she tried to tell, knowing she must look like a mess with all the blood, broken lip and probably bruised face. But they seemed to buy it, or they didn’t care more to know. Looking at her with mix of disgust and shock they just nodded.  
“Okay…”  
“Yeah, sorry for the noise, won’t happen again”, they at least helped her so Anna couldn’t be too much rude towards them. But after saying goodnight she didn’t stop from closing the door in front of their face.  
Now, she had much bigger problem with the dead body on her bed. She couldn’t possibly carry the body out of the building, not without noise and someone seeing it. She needed to handle it into more easier pieces to deal with, as this mess would soon get messier.  
Sighing, feeling so frustrated and the pains getting stronger, Anna took a minute for herself before starting the work. Time to get rid of the bastard for good.  
  
...When there was only half an hour until the morning sun would peek at the winter sky, Anna sat on her bed.  
Staring at the body, the man, she was completely lost and without an answer of how to deal with this new situation.  
The man still hasn’t died.  
Even twisting his neck so it snapped hadn’t kept him dead more than a couple of minutes. She had just suddenly felt a pulse from him as she had dragged him out of the bed. The woman had been more than just shocked about that.  
Then cursed and kicked the son of a bitch couple of times. Really let everything into it as the situation had turned from simple to a shitty one.  
It was one problem to have a prey who could heal themselves fast. Then another to have a body, which weighed probably over two hundred pounds, in her home.  
But having _a living, resurrecting murderous predator feral_ in your apartment that was above a restaurant in a building were people lived?  
_That_ is a problem.  
But even better, when Anna again tried to snap the bastard’s neck, cut his throat or tried to strangle him or- He just kept coming back!  
He wouldn’t _just die_. Wasn't that just peachy?  
  
Anna didn’t have much of freedom here with his body, with all the neighbors and thin walls. And she wasn’t that strong to just take this big shit onto her shoulders and skip down the stairs and out of the door like nothing. And her other shoulder was still hurt, even if self-stitched, thanks to the a-hole who was now placed and chained to an armchair in a corner.  
  
Anna could cut the guy to pieces, bag them and then deliver them into the forest so animals could take care of the rest. But the cutting would be messy. She was already covered on blood and sliding the man’s throat had almost messed up the floor and the carpet. It was just pure luck that the woman had been fast enough to cover the splattering wound.  
That reminded her that she needed to buy new towels.  
She couldn’t let the place look like a damn crime scene if Sarah would make a surprise visit today and after that everyone would know everything about everything!  
  
And the prey feral already had tried to cut the predator’s hand off. Just tried. And came to conclusion she couldn’t.  
Not even a sharpened kitchen knife could make enough damage before all the muscles, veins and skin would repair themselves on this guy. The knife actually had gotten stuck inside of his arm and it had been bloody to get it out.  
And so, fuming with anger and frustration, Anna had just secured the man to the large leather armchair.  
  
She was cold, tired and still in pain. She needed to clean herself properly, patch the rest of herself up and clean the mess. And get some sleep, she really needed that now. She would take care of the predator later.  
But after a moment Anna took out two more handcuffs and a rope. She was not going to take any chances with this one.  
After restraining more securely the predator, Anna cleaned and patched herself up, took some painkillers and decided to leave the room’s cleaning for later.  
  
Wishing this was just a nightmare, that the predator hadn't really come to her apartment and he wasn't hard to kill, Anna went under the bed covers and tried to get some sleep.  
But how can you sleep when there is a resurrecting predator in the same room as you?

* * *

The first thing that Victor noticed while coming to conscious, was that his shoulders were stiff as hell and he had a hammering headache. He remembered the last night and the last thing was the bitch kicking the lights out of him.  
The predator straightened his neck, going to look around where he was.  
“Finally you’re awake.”  
  
Looking towards the bed Victor saw the woman sitting there and staring at him with tired eyes. Anger building inside he was going to roar to the frail bitch, but a scarf stuffed into his mouth made itself aware. The woolly texture was obnoxious against his mouth’s insides and on tongue, making him lightly gag.  
So instead of roaring the mutant male settled to glower.  
Then Victor noticed that he was bounded by three cuffs and his arms were twisted behind his back.  
  
One cuff on his wrists, second on his ankles and the third one with long chain looped through the other two. Also there was a rope strained around him.  
The woman was not taking any risks with him it seemed. Good, she shouldn't.  
“They are not some cheap sex toys, by the way”, the woman spoke when seeing him squirming on his seat. “So don’t bother.”  
Victor wasn’t really worried about them. Wasn’t first time in handcuffs, and these weren’t even meant to mutants like him. With somber voice and weary stare, the feral female kept speaking.  
“Did you know that you are really hard to kill?”  
Huffing Victor looked back at her. She seemed really out of it, not even really staring at him.  
A cellphone started ringing, the woman answering it while still looking at him. Victor started to remove the scarf from his mouth, pushing with tongue and spitting it out with disgust.  
  
“Morning. Yeah, I’m fine, no problem at all, bye.”  
Smirking Victor had a hunch who the caller maybe was, watching closely the woman as he asked.  
“The old man checked if you were still alive?”  
Her face didn’t change at all.  
“Yeah, he likes to act like that”, she leaned against her other arm. “What if I cut your head off? Then burn it and your body separately?”  
She was getting a bit creative there. Making himself as comfortable as he could Victor leaned backwards and started to silently claw the rope.  
Getting head chopped off, burned and coming back from that didn’t sound fun.  
And damn his neck was hurting, and was he covered by his own blood? Just what had the frail done while he had been out of it?  
  
“Sorry but that doesn’t work either. I would still come back.”  
The appalled look on the feral female was amusing, making Victor chuckle with a smile.  
“…Like your head growing a new body or your body a new head? Or both? Because that would be really shitty situation.”  
Victor wouldn’t think that would happen. And if would, there wouldn’t be two of him for long. There was only one Sabretooth in this world and he liked to keep it that way. There was no need for competitors.  
  
“And don’t bother Joseph again. If you do, it will be my ass that gets thrown over the docks in a bag.”  
The sentence made Victor to think about this whole thing the woman had.  
She was a mutant but no-one else here, except the old man, seemed to know. The old man also seemed to be the only one to know about the woman tricking and killing mutants. And only mutants.  
It was odd. She wasn’t first to do it tough, but her situation was somewhat interesting.  
“So you are like... Feral or mutant hunter or something?”  
The woman didn’t seem like the type though. Not how Sabretooth would think others to see a mutant hunter as. She wasn’t protecting the villagers, she only talked about her territory and how she taught ferals not to screw with her.  
The curious side of Victor was going on feverishly.  
“Something like that”, the female finally answered, not telling anything. So Victor kept poking, and clawing.  
“But you didn’t kill Jimmy.”  
“Logan? No. He’s not an asshole, and be quiet, I need to think.”  
  
Of course baby brother wasn’t an asshole, never had been, always acting like a hero and doing what was right. Bloody goody two-shoes. Even when he and Victor still had stick together, surviving as kids, Jimmy couldn’t even steal food without feeling guilty about it.  
It was only because of Victor both of them stayed alive through decades, doing what needed to be done. And yet the little shit still had to act like being better than him…  
Cutting him out just like that.

* * *

“Why do you kill?”  
If she would be sure not to get dizzy when getting up, Anna would have stuffed the scarf back into the a-hole's mouth. So that he would choke in it. Wouldn’t probably kill him but that would be enough to her, for now.  
“Not your business. Now shut up or I’ll cut your tongue off before you can even say pussycat.”  
  
What if she would poison him? Or pour acid on him, where would she even get acid and that much…  
Letting out a loud groan, hands on her face, Anna fell backwards. She was really getting tired and weak. She couldn’t sleep and she hadn’t eaten anything also.  
Not good. She needed to have those, then she could focus completely how to deal with the cat man here.  
Maybe she would snap the man’s neck again and try to get some slee-  
Hearing metallic snaps Anna clumsily tried to get up but was forced back down as the feral man slide over her, pushing with his chest, and yet again trapped all her four limbs under him.  
“Pussycat.”  
Snorting the female mutant glowered at that smirk of his.  
But... She was tired. So tired.

She was thinking about delicious pancakes with lot of sugar and cream instead of the predator above, trapping her.  
She didn’t even flinch when the man leaned down and pressed his nose against the crook of her neck, hailing in. But his bearded chin touching the fresh stitches on the painful wound at shoulder was uncomfortable.  
“Chin off”, she hissed.  
He did move his chin away, but only to look at her in the eyes. There was much more serious look on them this time. A wondering one.  
“What is it, that you don’t get scared easily?"

  
…Hey, Anna got it. Just now.  
Her tired mind coming up with the joke of this guy. Curious like a cat. And the curiousness killed the cat. But this cat wouldn't die, it had more than nine lives! It really shouldn’t but at that moment it felt funny, making Anna laugh half-loud. Making her probably look like a crazy.  
“The boogeyman’s position is already taken. Try the next door”, she said and closed her eyes. If the kittyman wasn’t so heavy, this could be even comfortable. He was warm and big.  
Silly thoughts.

* * *

Victor tilted his head to side. The woman wasn’t fighting back at all. Or really focusing on him, damn, she was actually _relaxing_ under him. Almost not caring for anything he did.  
He could do anything he wanted right now.  
“You really are out of it.”  
The woman hummed in response, eyes still closed and breathing slowing.  
Victor was not sure should he be amused, amazed or offended by this. Looking her over, relaxed body and face, he felt something weird. But also new lust as the image about the woman under him and legs around his waist came.  
  
Grabbing her chin, lengthening claws sliding against her face and making scratches, Victor brought his face close.  
When their noses touched she finally opened her eyes, lazily staring at his smirking face.  
Canine teeth revealed, the feeling getting stronger as his brown eyes got darker as his pupils widened.  
His grip on her hardened.  
“So I can do whatever I want then”, it came out calmly and in low, oddly soft tone. The woman just huffed.  
Then she smiled in apathetic way that made Victor’s brows hunch.  
“And you still wouldn’t make me fear you.”  
The ensuring tone of hers irritated Sabretooth as he held back the urge to twist her chin bones. But there was also something in those eyes of hers, as she looked at him while saying those words. It made him… Cautious. A bit.  
“That feeling was taken from me as a cub, sorry to say that, puss.”  
  
He growled.  
“No doubt because of that mouth of yours.”  
“Fuck. You”, she growled with sudden anger. “ _You_ predators are _all_ the fucking same arrogant assholes.”  
With interest, and somewhat surprised, Victor observed as the woman found new energy.  
“Every one of you. Prey, frail, catch, spoil… You think those words nor the things you do hurt me? Do all of you think, I’ll be afraid any of you when dad already tried all those things?”  
She continued without a breath, showing her teeth like a predator, fire in her eyes.  
“He fixed me, mauled the prey right out of me. So whatever you want to do: fuck me, kill or torture me, you just do that boy.”  
Victor, the mutant confident of his abilities, hold himself from flinching as the female pushed her forehead challengingly against his.  
“But I’ll bite my tongue off before being a bitch to anyone.”  
  
After that the female mutant closed her eyes again and laid back down.  
Victor stared at her, feeling all odd suddenly.  
At first he thought she had done something to him, but how and when? When he had been dead?  
It was like something in the woman, the way she had talked to him and stared with those light colored eyes, caused something to turn inside the feral man's head. Cause something to rear its ugly, long time buried head. Bringing to the surface things, that Victor did not care to remember. Didn't want to.  
Fixing. She said her dad had been  _fixing her_. The word only brought one thing into the man's mind, suddenly so that he didn't recognize the suddenly flashing memory.  
Uncomfortable pressure formed on his chest and throat, his mind jamming. Feeling ghost like pain in his fingertips.  
The cellar, the cottage in the forest. The hallucination and dream of his childhood.  
The healing factor in the mutant male was working, trying to reduce the sudden physical and mental attacks that the words had set off.  
  
It felt like standing on thin ice and not knowing what was under the cracking surface, but instincts were alarming him about it strongly.  
  
Victor was feeling how he was loosing his nerve as the changes in his body continued and got stronger. Not able to tackle or ignore them like usually.  
And that angered him. He was not suppose to feel anything like this, his preys were suppose to.  
And this intimidated him, he all of sudden feeling like retreating from the woman's closeness suddenly.

* * *

Anna almost fell asleep as she kept waiting for the predator to do something, for a long time, so she finally opened her eyes. And didn’t see the man anymore above her, nor in the room. Didn’t hear him anywhere.  
Brows hunching the prey feral wondered had she dreamed or hallucinated the recent? But the evidence told she hadn’t. The pulsing pain on her shoulder was a good confirmation.  
  
Not knowing where and why the a-hole had gone, Anna glared towards the window. He had left the damn window open. Again.


	7. Go chase yourself

In the forest, a caribou herd was in full panic, the animals running and jumping against and over each other as they strove to flee.  
A predator was running right behind them, on all fours and lunging at them, taking the poor panicked caribous one by one. Jumping on their backs, twisting their heads, biting into their necks and cutting them open with its claws.  
It wasn’t sporting nor hunting, it was pure butchering.  
Even after every member of the herd was dead and bled dry, the predator didn’t stop. It kept mauling the carcasses, roaring and growling with madness in its eyes.  
  
Victor was not a human, he was an animal. A pure predator. One of the most powerful one on the earth.  
He could heal from almost anything easily, he was the terror and force no-one wanted to have as an enemy.  
Sabretooth didn’t have any reason to fear for anything or anyone, as death was rarely final to him.  
So when he finally felt that small twink of intimidation, back at that prey feral’s apartment, it drove him mad. It infuriated him. Confused him when the odd state didn’t leave him even if he escaped from the woman and run deep into the forest.  
The images and memories, feelings and thoughts, they didn’t leave him even after he mauled completely the poor carnivores into steaming piles.  
  
Just what had she done to him? What she did to do this to him?  
It wasn’t fear, it couldn’t be. This was something else. It was odd, unnatural. It was so small change but when he immediately noticed it, it kept getting worse.  
Trailed by the woman’s words, the look in her eyes and how she spoke of what had happened to her.  
Something about that did this. Twisted something open in the mind so suddenly that he wasn't ready for the impact.  
  
Finally spent, panting and covered in blood, the feral male drop down onto the snow. Feeling a little bit better, finally.  
The memories and the odd feelings finally weakening.  
  
It really had been odd. It was decades now, since Victor had seen his father die by young Jimmy’s claws. A couple of lifetimes as Victor had lived without any feelings of discomfort or anything bad. Even the sting of Jimmy leaving him behind had subsided, even if not completely vanished. But it didn’t effect Victor anymore like it once had.  
Same thing had happened with the things that had happened in the childhood. The more time went and the more he didn’t reminisce the things, the more they felt like just uncomfortable dreams.  
  
So, when suddenly those memories peeked back to surface, it took the predator completely surprised. Even more when he felt the hint of childish fear he felt as a kid, waiting in the basement when would be the next time for father to try to _fix_ him.  
  
Frowning to the thought, growling and swallowing and pushing the memory away Victor concentrated on the woman. She had been just like him.  
The thought was abrupt.  
First the feral was going to deny it, she wasn’t like him. No-one else was like him and Jimmy, animals who didn’t fit among humans who died so easily and didn’t accept them, didn’t understand how lesser they were compared to him and Jimmy. The rules of the society not fitting to their kind.  
But Victor couldn’t deny the thought full-heartedly. Not able to find the same feeling of despising like with anyone else who came close to him and Jimmy.  
  
It was an odd and uncomfortable thought. But at the same time not fully unpleasant.  
Odd.  
Victor’s curiousness, that had started from Logan’s connection to the woman and then how stubborn she was, got its new trait. Making the feral predator want to understand more of the woman, and this faint connection he suddenly felt.  
And see how long it would amuse him. And if he could prove, that the frail was not anything like him and the runt.  
It was still long time to spring, after all.

* * *

"-five caribou carcasses, all over the forest and not far from here."  
"If it's the same that came to village week ago, the beast can turn into a real problem."  
"Five, five caribous. Mauled into freaking mince! That's not hunting to eat, that's  _sporting_. The beast  _is_  already a problem."  
  
Anna listened secretly at the hunters’ conversation while wiping glasses. She wasn’t sure, but she was suspecting the mutant feral being the cause for the hunters’ discovery. Anna didn’t like that.  
The stranger was a problem already to her as she didn’t know how to kill him, but if he was now attacking wildlife he could move next to the villagers. And that wouldn’t be good at all.  
People in her territory would die because of the other feral. Police and animal control would be called. Then if things kept going shout, maybe even bigger shots would come here.  
Scare every mutant away from this area and stopping them going through here. Anna’s past preys would be found. Joseph would reveal her. And then…  
Things could not go on like this. She needed to get rid of the predator, some way or another and soon.  
  
She had tried to think anyway to kill him permanently. Even searching through internet for different ways to die or murder, and then to some anti-mutant sites were people told about their mutant killings.  
There had to be a way to kill the bastard. No-one was immortal. She had thought her father would never die but in the end, she herself had proven it wasn’t truth.  
Everyone died in one way or another.  
  
Feeling a headache coming Anna stopped working for a moment.  
“Has anyone of you thought about the weird think though?”  
The whispering manner made her listen fully, back towards the hunters.  
“That there weren’t any _beast_ marks on the ground, but… _Human’s_?”  
  
The sight of Joseph standing at the backroom's doorway almost made the woman jump. The old man glared from the backroom before walking to the bar’s side. She turned away from him and ignored the old geezer while making a drink for herself.  
Of course he would blame her, and for a reason. But he didn’t have any afford to judge her.  
The hunters stopped talking as the bar owner walked to their table.  
“Well, well, well”, one of them smiled. “Old Josh has come down to see over his kingdom.”  
“Easy boy”, the ex-military huffed and looked at the younger men, hands in his pant pockets.  
“So”, Joseph started. “Did I hear right, that you think _a human_ would kill five caribous with bare hands?”  
The old geezer wasn’t jeering nor amused, but asked in all seriousness, making the hunters look at each other with unsureness.  
“It can be… A mutant?” one of them proposed. Anna took a sip, watching how Joseph didn’t even flinch.  
“There is _no_ mutants in our village”, Joseph finally said in stern voice. But it didn’t stop others.  
  
“There has been a lot about them in tv lately.”  
“They look like us, so we can’t easily point them out.”  
“I saw in internet a video were one mutant flipped a damn van over. With its bare hands.”  
"Some can even force you to do things with just thoughts."  
“And Ray wa-“  
The slam of hands against counter’s surface made everyone look at the furious waitress. She was glaring hotly at the speaker and the hunters.  
The air was suddenly heavy.  
“Don’t you dare to say that name”, she said clear, slowly and full of threat. Ready to throw anything at them, get over the counter and kick the ever living shit out of them. The blond wasn’t baring her teeth, wasn’t shouting, wasn’t holding anything dangerous. But her whole body language was everything she needed to make the atmosphere in the bar quickly tense and wary.  
  
“Anna, out”, Old Josh commanded calmly.

* * *

Planning to visit the bar for a drink, and another meeting with the woman, Victor had seen through the front windows how the woman had the outburst and the whole place gone still.  
Then she stomped out to the backroom.  
Curious of what had happened the predator steered away from the front door and instead walked to the backyard. He had observed there being a backdoor.  
Already before nearing the last corner he heard her trashing the place, cursing and muttering loudly.  
A trash can flew past the man as he stopped at the corner. Lifting one brow victor took a peek.  
He was surprised of anger in its purest form hitting right into his face, making the feral male blink in light daze and then to shook his head.  
Almost feeling himself getting angry and ready to break things, he accelerating. He licked his canines as he watched the woman's raging.  
  
She was kicking everything that came to her way, cursing and yelling loudly, punching and kicking everything and nothing.  
Victor had witnessed the woman angry before, even furious, but this was something new. Incontinent and directionless. She then kicked the wall, making a deep crack forming into one of the trunks in the the thick lumber wall.  
Victor felt excited about the woman’s current state. How uncontrollable and ferocious she looked, almost destroying the wall with her long, powerful legs. And knowing already the rest of the female’s body being same as her legs, tall and slim with sinewy muscles.  
“Assholes!” she cursed and whirled around, punching the air and kicking snow.  
Feeling like playing around, Victor stepped into her view, cocking his head to a side and observing how she first stilled with surprise.  
  
Then she pointed sharply at him and started marching towards.  
“You”, her voice was so heated. “You fucking bastard!”  
Smile forming to his face he calmly said: “I’ve been called that.” Then he needed to step to aside as she tried to punch him.  
Just what in earth could make her this upset?  
Her anger was tangy and hot, like some stingy oriental spice. And there was only pure anger behind her movements, they were wild and instinctive, not targeted at all. And Sabretooth liked that, smirking cheekily.  
“ _Do tell_  what made you this mad”, he playfully said while jumping away from woman’s front kick.

* * *

Anna was furious. Even so much she hadn’t even heard the puss here sneaking around her, and that made her even madder!  
How dare they? How _dare_ they to even mention father’s name in front of her!? Like they never had anything to do with her shitty childhood with abuse and torture with a crazy fucker all alone?!  
They knew what was going on, they knew mother was missing, they knew something was wrong and she was all alone there with him and they didn’t do nothing!  
  
“Fuck you”, Anna screamed while trying to get a damn kick on the son of bitch in front of her.  
She was going to wipe that stupid grin from his face, snap his neck, stomp him to mush, she---  
After couple of more dodges the feral male took her by surprise.  
Stepping to side from her attack he slide his hand under her thigh, tugging her off balance. Making her go flat against snowy ground onto her back.  
Deep chuckle irritated the prey feral's sensitive ears.  
Fuming Anna lunged after the running, laughing bastard and followed him into the forest.  
"You fucker!"  
"Come on frail, kick me!"  
  
After a moment, at the bar’s backdoor, Joseph stepped outside and looked at the mess Anna had made.  
But not seeing the woman herself anywhere, the old man curiously saw two pairs of footprints leading up the hill, and into the forest.  
…Sighing the old man went back inside.


	8. Heat

The chase of angry deer and amused tiger kept going in the forest.  
  
Wrath was making Anna chase the playful predator without a thought, following his trails without looking around. Only determined to catch him and try every way to kill him.  
It shouldn’t be hard to catch him, she was faster than him, more dexterous. But every time she pushed herself to speed past him, and attack with viciousness, he would either dodge or keep moving despite the hit.  
Every time out of her reach, that smirk playing on his face, laughing and chuckling to her attempts.  
Agitating her more and more.

* * *

The heat of the chase was exciting, provoking Victor to bare his teeth and fully unsheathe his claws, turn the pursue other way around. Surprise the feral female while she thinks she’s the one hunting.  
The thought was attractive. The look on her face back at that night, when he surprised her through the wall and tackled her to ground, the fear on her then… The memory was so sweet and pleasant. Tempting him to attack instead of dodging.  
...But no.  
  
Sabretooth wouldn’t turn the tables yet. He was actually not going to do what came naturally from him, what his instincts told him to do. Attack and kill, torture, enjoy. These were things Victor always did without any thought nor resistance, but now?  
Of course there was a reason for that, Victor never fought against his animal side, never pretended to be a human like Jimmy boy. But the problem was, that what Victor and Jimmy could take, the woman here couldn’t.  
The prey feral here could try over hundreds time to kill him in anyway but he still would be okay in the end. The predator feral in other hand could kill her with just one good hit, nothing more to be demanded.  
So what fun would that be, without getting anything out of it?  
Sabretooth had destroyed villages, men and women, children and adults, completely destroyed them in his past. He had hunted different people and animals and creatures in his life. He had been killed in so many ways, that he doubted there was anything he hadn’t gone through yet.  
He had made his preys bled and beg, destroying their bodies and souls, them fearing and cursing him. Swearing to revenge.  
And how many of them did that? How many of them truly fought back without any trepidation?  
Far too few for Sabretooth’s liking. And almost every one of them were dead by now.  
  
Except Jimmy boy, who like him could take anything and still get back up.  
One day though, Victor would find a way to crush his baby brother too. Make the runt feel the exact same agony that Victor had felt, when Jimmy betrayed him, turned his back and just left him behind. Like they weren’t brothers, lived through so many things protecting only each other and no-one getting to them.  
  
...So many just easily gave into Victor’s wants that, when this kind of feisty, unafraid female prey feral made him curious, furious, attracted and wanting? He wasn’t going to end it easily nor shortly. She needed to be punished, thoroughly, and that demanded for Sabretooth to study her.  
He couldn’t kill this one before he was content of figuring her out completely.  
And then ruin her and so hurt Jimmy once again.

* * *

Anna was a stubborn woman. She hated to be made a fool of, looked down or pushed around.  
She was quick to anger and she was sure to avenge wrongness despite how much it would demand from her. But she wasn’t stupid, she didn’t like to do what others wanted her to. It was her natural instincts to act against everyone’s wants and commands.  
Just, like, now.  
  
The female mutant stopped chasing.  
Panting she stared at the smiling predator who also stopped running from her. Hugging herself, sweat under indoor clothes, breath steaming, Anna suddenly turned around.  
She didn’t like cold at all. Reminded too much of childhood, always wearing too little against elements because she needed to be though, able to survive in any condition. Didn’t mean she had liked of it nor wanted.  
Just how far had she run from the village after the pussy-cat? Sneering, still walking, Anna felt disappointment towards herself. She had so easily followed the other in rage, not paying anything to her environment, the man’s movements or-  
  
Something cold and crumbling hit her on the back of her head. Anna jumped and tensed from the sudden impact.  
A piece of melting snow slithered under her sweater and against her back.

* * *

The snowball had stopped the woman from leaving, good, Victor wouldn’t like to use a stone. Would cause something serious to the other.  
Spreading his arms to sides, another snowball on his right hand, the feral male shouted after the female with a smile.  
“Don’t you turn back on me, frail!”  
“Fuck you!”  
  
He laughed, smile full of teeth and juggling the snowball on his hands. He throw it towards her lazily, the woman easily dodging and then she turned to leave again.  
That wasn’t what Victor was going to allow.  
He run after her, pleased when she didn’t start running but stopped to glare at him. She was pissed, he could smell it. And he wanted to have more fun.  
The staring and silent contest of theirs continued for a moment, before the woman gave up and finally snapped.  
“What?”  
Corners tugging into another mischievous smile, eyes twinkling, Sabretooth knew where to hit.  
“This boogieman of yours”, he was pleased to see her eyes widening. “It’s you father, right?”  
“...So?”  
Victor looked at the woman. She was on the edge, angry, but also uncomfortable of the subject, just the mention of her father doing that. It was clear she feared the big bad daddy. And Victor wanted to change that, as someone who was dead was no match to him.  
The dark haired, broad man leaned towards the woman. Looking the light brown eyes which glared him warily.  
“Daddy issues?”  
A slap was not something Victor had excepted from the blond in front of him, not at all, never. It surprised him completely, the sharp hit making his face snap to side from the impact. His eyes widened from the shock.  
  
...She had slapped him. Not hit nor kicked but _slapped_ , open hand.  
Like a damn weak frail, which she really wasn’t. The gesture was an insult to him.

* * *

Anna was satisfied to wipe that stupid smile from the bastard’s face. But she also knew he was going to attack because of it.  
Good.  
She wanted a real fight now, no chasing nor playing around but a real fight. It had been humiliating to be played by the predator like that, him laughing and smiling down at her. She following like a sheep.  
So when the man slowly turned his glowering face towards her, a deep rumbling coming from his throat, Anna glared right back with a hint of self-satisfaction.  
Not caring if she was going to die or that her instincts were telling her to run. She wasn’t going to cower.  
  
In a blink she was pushed and slammed against nearby tree, a gasp of pain venting out of her.  
Then lips with sharp teeth were placed onto her throat, hot breathing against her skin. Creating goosebumps and shivers, forcing her to breath shallowly. Large hands held her hips, her body trapped between the tree and the feral man.  
Pain from the impact, from her still hurt shoulder was intense, accelerating her. Making her more aware of the warmth the man’s muscular and large body was giving while pressing against her.  
  
Anna moved fingers under the predator’s shirt, feeling heat as her fingers pressed against bear skin.  
An angry growl vibrated from the man’s chest into hers and from his mouth onto her throat.  
Swallowing Anna felt strong warmth and soft tingling in her lower body.

* * *

Victor tightened his hold on the woman’s throat. Feeling every breath she took and the agitated pulse against his canine teeth. The form of her body pressed against him, no room for anything between, her cold fingers against his bare skin causing shivers across his body.  
Then, to his surprise, the feral man smelled the scent of the female's, there being something new in it. Softly bitter and sweet at the same time, the smell getting stronger.  
A smell of her arousal, he understood.  
And could only breath it in heavily, licking the woman’s skin as he felt the need to get clothes off.  
From him and her, now.  
  
Moving one hand to his jeans Victor started ripping his zipper open, but the woman’s hands got in the way. Growling he pushed them away.  
“Off”, she huffed, the beast man not first understanding what she said. Again her hands disturbed his attempts to rip pants down. She was commanding him off? Like hell he was going to this time.  
Pushing her hands away again Victor just started clawing the zipper, next feeling her tugging his jacket.  
“Take it off.”  
Victor halted. The female spoke again, with more force behind the command. Her voice getting angrier.  
“Clothes off. Now."  
The beast mutant gladly obeyed and hurriedly dropped the clothe.


	9. Spoil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !WARNING! Sex in this one.

It wasn't gentle, it wasn't making love or mating. Why would it be, when they saw each other as a prey, wanting to kill each other? There was a faint connection between them, similarities, but it felt more ominous than desirable.  
Both ferals had lived alone, surviving and trusting only on their own for years, in their own ways. After that, suddenly meeting someone same as you of course felt like a threat. At first.  
  
The two ferals, predator and prey, easily fell into the whirling strong emotions inside them, pouring all of it into one another. Emotional and physical frustration, anger, arousal, excitement, curiosity and want. The primal instincts weren’t helping.  
Anna wanted to kick and keep the man close at the same time, feeling angry and confused how suddenly she felt like wanting everything from him to satisfy herself.  
Victor just wanted to rut the woman over and over again, finally get the edge off from his needs. But it was a bit hard when at the same time Sabretooth felt like needing to finally kill the woman.  
Different urges from human and animal sides were both strong on the two, almost drowning, the need to fuck and kill strong.  
But not yet. No killing each other. Just... Just not yet, when this was getting _so good_.  
  
The frustration to object against fighting and killing instincts made the urges stronger, that made in turn the controlling even harder, the two ferals getting more rough with each other as the vicious cycle kept spinning and shrinking faster and faster.  
  
Sabretooth finally ripped the zipper, tugging his pants down and growling with the freedom as the cloth dropped.  
The smell of the woman’s arousal was so alluring with how she attached to him with demand, her hands wandering and hips moving while she was still trapped by his teeth. It almost made him want to play with her more but she still had the damn pants on.  
Those needed to come off, if he wanted everything from her: see, taste and smell everything of her.  
With his claws Sabretooth went into work.  
  
Anna hadn’t felt sexual frustration like this and defiantly not with anyone. She never fucked with someone, more the other way around, her seeing it as some useless thing to get over when someone made her to do it. But now she wanted it, she felt more than just irritating itch to get into it. Anna didn’t know why though, this was crazy, and the reason didn’t feel important at the moment.  
She just wanted more of him, feel more and that meant he needed to get the clothes off. Feeling his naked hips and hard stomach wasn’t enough. She wanted to see and feel the rest.  
See the predator he was, his body born and build to have power, speed and stamina of a one.  
The woman however didn’t appreciate him to start ripping her pants off.  
She punched him into stomach, snarling him to stop it.  
  
Huffing Victor just yanked the punching fist above them.  
He was almost done with the irritating cloth.  
The other side of the jeans ripped open enough that the feral man just moved required fabric out of the way, feeling the wetness and heat immediately when their hips rubbed against each other. Panting against the woman’s throat he was ready to plunge in and bump his hips.  
But the prey feral was just as stubborn as always, not submitting even now.  
  
She got a strong grip of the back of the man's hair, yanking his head backwards. And not wanting to kill her, not just yet, Sabretooth had to let go of her throat. He wasn’t disappointed though, getting to see her face as he drove into her as far as he could with one push.  
It was like the woman had just surfaced and breathed deep, mouth hanging open and eyes closed intensively as brows arched deeply. The caress of her insides was nice, holding him with softness and wetness that made the feral man purr.  
It was even better, when the female all of a sudden let out this weird sound with the thrust, making him to halt. The oddness and suddenness of the sound exciting and humoring him at the same time.  
Like high pitched, elongated door’s creaking.  
Making Victor to realize the frail's animal side.  
A deer.  
He was fucking a deer feral.  
  
Corners of his open, gasping mouth lifted he adored everything in that moment. The feeling and sight, almost making him forget to keep moving to keep this going on.  
She was kind enough to remind him of it, tugging his hair and glaring him while snarling: “Move.”  
And Sabretooth happily obeyed, yet again. Obeyed, a deer prey feral, he, the Sabretooth.  
Breathlessly laughing he started fucking her, growling and purring with low tone and fastening immediately.  
Letting go of her arm and with both hands grabbed her bottom and she in turn circled those strong legs around him. Her hands dug into his shoulders as she moved, breathed and uttered with him.  
  
Victor moved his hips as fast and deep as he could, watching as the woman looked him with those heated eyes. She wanted him. She wanted him to fuck her hard and deep, holding him like he was going to stop or leave if she let go of him.  
But he wasn’t going to do that, not now, when she so openly took him in and made that face.  
This was even better than fucking a whore, a wanting feral woman was so much better. Lowering his chin Sabretooth watched how the feral woman moved her hips with him, legs pressing around his waist and the inner muscles in her wrapping around his cock.  
  
Soon two voices, one roaring and other one screaming, echoed in deep of the woods.  
  
The two ferals were gasping hard, the woman leaning against the tree and the man leaning against her. Each one holding another in bruising manner, feeling the warm mess inside her as he spilled inside.  
Anna breathed heavily, holding the predator’s head against her chest as she slowly came down from the high.  
The climax had been so spontaneous, powerful and fast that neither of them hadn’t anticipate it so quickly.  
But it still had felt good.  
That’s what Sabretooth was thinking as he held his hips tightly against hers, massaging the woman’s bottom as he was stopping from coming into her.  
Damn it had been fast.  
  
And yet that wasn’t enough.  
  
With laughable easiness Anna slightly pushed herself and the man down into the thick layer of snow. She fell on top of him, both groaning from the impact and not dislocating inside her as they held each other in tight grip in every way.  
Feeling him still hard inside Anna placed her hands on the man’s chest.  
The snow was cold against bare skin and through clothes, but those didn't bother as the feral woman took the wheel.  
And with interest Victor let her take it, feeling curious and excited at the same time.  
Smirking widely he watched how she started taking off the rest of her clothes.  
Very good. She didn’t need to cover herself now, he could keep her warm.  
  
Throwing thick upper clothes away Anna looked down at the predator under her. This time, seeing that smile of his, wasn’t so irritating as usually. Now it was more rousing, with the view under her.  
Seeing the great beast man under her half-naked and waiting.  
It made Anna’s corners curl upwards, showing her teeth and making her eyes darken as she leaned to hover over the man.  
The woman on top of him making Victor stare in pleased amaze, an image of predator wearing bloody deer’s hide flashing in his mind.  
  
The woman over him was tall and flexible, fast and powerful, her skin covered by scars. Smiling at him with glint of wildness in those eyes.  
How anyone could mistake something like that to a frail prey?  
  
“You”, Anna snared to the staring man, scratching his chest with curling fingers as she leaned downwards. The movement made his staff move inside her, making both of them feel lick of cold and hot against their spines.  
“Stop... Being so damn loud, and stop clawing me”, she demanded and started fucking the predator in turn. Making small but sharp movements against him.  
Huffing in amusement Victor let his head fall deeper into snow, his back arching from pleasure. The insides of her so much slicker now, making him easily move inside her.  
Getting a better grip on the woman’s hips, minding his claws this time, Victor moved up against the woman’s movements. Admiring all those battles scars on her and feeling want to cover them all.  
Wanting her to wear scars made by only him, proofs of him having her and only him.  
Sabretooth couldn’t be more agreeable with the thought, growling as she moved in just right angle for a moment.  
The woman was his, everything she was. His to take, his to hunt, his to fuck.  
  
Groaning Victor started slamming deeper into her as just the thought of her to be his was so goddamn hot. Holding her hips down his hips bumped upwards.  
  
Anna moaned and moved with the man’s vicious movements. He was going to make her come again with this pace.  
Looking down she admired the predator man, for what he was.  
He was so large with wide shoulders, pure muscle moving under her with smooth and powerful movements. He was a hunter; everyone could see it from everything he was. Just like when she first saw him.  
Looking her with those preying eyes, observing her through.  
And now there was something else in them as he looked up to her. The tone of his gaze making her feel powerful, with how he moved under her, parting lips gasping with every movement and his hands holding her against him. Claws sliding on her skin in sweet, painful way. She wanted him, everything he was.  
Throaty moan escaped between Anna’s lips as the man rose to sit, pressing her against him as his hands moved around to her back.  
Trapping her but it didn’t feel uncomfortable to Anna. The woman gladly excepted his closeness and warmth.  
It also didn’t bother how he destroyed her bras.  
Or that he leaned to lick and nibble her breasts. Sucking onto soft flesh and making her whimper.  
  
“Make it”, Victor purred. He wanted to hear it again, the voice she had made at the beginning. That sound sweetly odd and surprising. He wanted to hear it.  
She didn’t do it though, moving her arms around his neck. He punished her by plunging into her sharply.  
“Make the sound.” he growled this time, lifting now glaring gaze to her face.  
The woman was biting her lower lip, glaring back, just like back at that night.  
She really was a stubborn one. It was usually enjoyable and funny, but now it was just irritating to him.  
He demanded her to make the noise, not requesting it.  
So seeing the stitched wound he had given to her right shoulder, seeing how half unconsciously she kept slamming down onto his manhood, Victor smirked.  
He bared his teeth and moved to her closed wound, scraping the stitches with his teeth.  
That made her make the sound. And more came as he roughly licked the wound, kept fucking her and rubbing her spine.  
“Good girl.”  
“Fu- Fuck you.”  
Laughing Victor scraped her throat with his teeth.  
“You already are, bambi.”  
  
Anna couldn’t help the smile as they rutted, feeling all around the man and feeling the purring and growling vibrating from him. Their movements weren’t so sharp and merciless anymore, a bit calmer. Enjoying what was given and taken. It felt good.  
But then his touches on her back started getting lower, Anna not reacting fast enough when she felt his fingertips brush the spot.  
Making her whimper and flinch.  
“Don’t touch that!”  
  
Victor stopped immediately everything when she suddenly reacted like that. He had found an odd area on her lower back.  
Like short, spiky shaven hair were in the middle there was rumpled, soft skin and something hard under it. Not sure what it was he looked over the woman’s shoulder, making her look away from him.  
“Don’t.”  
Halting he glanced at her. The behavior so off-setting that he didn’t move at all for a moment.  
“Move”, she said, still not looking at him. Victor looked what was the weird thing on the woman's back.  
He saw a small area of fawn colored fur area there, where in middle there was almost palm sized scar. It looked painful, rough. A thought of what it was and what had happened making Victor feel uncomfortable. Thinking what had been done to her. The place and the look of it giving a possible hint of the happening.  
A sudden anger of thinking of it happening to her was surprising.  
  
“...What is that?”  
She started moving her hips against him until Victor gripped her hips hard.  
“…Make me come”, she pleaded. And he would have gladly obeyed her, no doubt, if he wouldn’t feel the need to know what or who had caused the scar to her. He wanted to know. He needed her to confirm.  
“Tell me”, he snarled. And touched gently at the edge of the scar, making the woman shiver and moan silently.  
“Just ignore it”, she started to sound angry. Moving again fingertips on the scar’s edge Victor swallowed.  
“Anna, tell me.”  
  
It felt long time before she finally gave in, whispering.  
“It was… Cut off, when it appeared.”  
The answer made the feral man go still. Thinking of her tail, probably like deer’s, fluffy and round, and then how it was cut or more likely sawed off. A memory of getting his teeth and claws pulled out made him growl.  
And the same thing happening to her, seeing that scar on her back, created something overpowering and unrecognizable, sharp and infuriating inside him.  
  
Anna didn’t like this, not at all. She didn’t like how him finding and reacting to the scar was so uncomfortable. Just when things were so good.  
“Move, please. Make me come”, she whispered, still not looking at him.  
It was a relief when he finally started moving his hips again, they getting back into it but not as heated as before.  
They came together for a second time after some trying. The climax was not as strong as the first one, but still making them finally satisfied and tired as they leaned against each other while panting.  
And as the mood faded, Anna started to feel deep shame and anger. Not believing what had just happened.  
And neither could Victor, how he had felt like he had when the scar had been found and the female telling its origins. And how after that ire some weirdly soft emotion took its habitation in him towards the woman.  
  
Neither feral moved nor spoke.


	10. Giving the name

Coming down from the climax happened quickly and harshly.  
Still not moving Victor was a bit abashed by, well, all of this. How he had felt, how he had obeyed and fucked with the woman. Not just taken like usually, but just as also given to her. He didn’t do that. He didn’t give anything back, nothing good at least, to anyone.  
He loved to cause suffering. He liked to strip his preys from everything they had and were. He has always been sadistic and selfish animal and that had never bothered him. He just did what was his nature just like any animal, he was honest to himself.  
It felt good to be an animal.  
  
And yet, he had tried to give to the woman the same pleasure she had given to him. Given her the control and obeyed her without objecting.  
That wasn’t what he did.  
Now, as everything was done, he being satisfied and the fun over, he should just drop her and went on his own way. Loose the interest towards the woman until he felt the need to fight or fuck again.  
  
And yet he was still there, holding her against himself. Trying to keep her warm as she shivered against him. He shouldn’t do this.  
Especially not rub side of his head against hers when he smelled her getting angry. Wonder what was making her angry and why, had he done something to cause it-  
That wasn’t what he did! This wasn’t him, his animal side was screwing him badly, and it felt strongly disturbing.  
  
And yet, when the woman made a movement to get off of him, Victor hugged her tighter with a silent growl.

* * *

Anna had always loved silence and the forest. She liked how in winter everything was muted, pure white and isolating.  
As a child she had seen the forest as a cage, trapped in it. But after killing father, the woods had turned into her place of comfort. Her territory, where she was safe and knew her place.  
A home.  
But now the silence was uncomfortable, making her hear clearly both of their heartbeats and breathing, reminding her she wasn’t alone and what she had done just now with the predator. The disturbed snow around them and the blood rubbing it into her face.  
The cold and the realization made her to shiver.  
And that’s when the predator feral hugged her closer, reminding that he was still there. Holding her, warming her, softening inside her as the mess between her legs kept trickling against her thighs.  
  
_“Make the sound.”_  
_“Good girl.”_  
_“Anna, tell me.”_  
  
The woman grimaced. Feeling humiliated, dirty and weak. Like she had given into something without knowing and it had changed her in irreversible way.  
She wanted to go. But as she tried, the man held her more tightly and growled, like she needed his permission to leave.  
“Let me go”, she demanded, not still looking at him.

* * *

Victor didn’t understand why the bambi was so damn angry now. Acting like she hadn’t enjoyed at all.  
It raged him, just like the slap to his face.  
“And do what?” he insisted, glaring at her as she didn’t look back at him.  
“Get my clothes, get away from you, what do you think?”  
He thinks he doesn’t like the idea. And didn’t bother to wonder why, he didn’t care to analyze his every god damn impulse and want. He was an animal and so he didn’t need to think.  
And right now he was angry to her for acting like this.  
“No”, he said. And this time she looked back at him.  
“And why the hell not? We’re gonna just sit here on snow?”  
Victor didn’t have an answer for that, seeing how ridiculous this was and so, this time he let her get off.  
Sulking he watched her gathering her clothes, the sight of ruined jeans sliding now and then down her legs satisfying him a little. Especially when she had to go back like that with ruined clothes, not able to completely cover her and so anyone seeing her, knowing what had happened.  
He at least had his shirt and jacket, and jeans with a broken zipper wasn't a problem. Sabretooth also liked to be naked, although not at cold winter.  
  
Getting up, wiping snow off and pulling pants back up the feral man still felt sour after her behavior. His instincts mixed up and confusing him, telling him to grab her, held and bite but also lick. Make her fear but want him too.  
The sight of her starting to leave with her ruined clothes and being angry at him infuriated him in turn.  
But then what the hell did it matter did she like it or not, if she left right after the act?  
It had been good fucking, she couldn’t deny that, he had smelled and felt that.  
And he wanted her to admit it.  
Also, she would freeze walking like that to the village.  
  
Victor was not going to let his prey die from cold or by other predator. He had his pride to kill his preys by himself.

* * *

Muttering under breath Anna tried to walk, dress up her sweaters and hold her jeans up at the same time. The bastard really hadn’t waste any time to get into her.  
If anyone at village would see her like this she was going to lose it.  
  
But like the predator hadn’t done enough already, the woman heard him approaching.  
She stopped and turned to glare at the equally angry looking feral.  
Anna didn’t want to fight now, like this, but she was ready to kick his balls off if it was what he wanted. He didn’t look like fighting though, stopping next to her with deep scowl on his bearded face.  
The two of them stared for a moment in complete awkward silence.  
And then the feral man took off his jacket, and tried to put it on her.  
  
Quickly the blond dodged away from the cloth, staring at it and the man holding it.  
What had happened? What was he doing?  
“It’s just a jacket”, he growled, still holding it to her.  
“I know it’s a jacket”, she snapped back. “It is _your_ jacket, so why the hell are you giving it to me?”  
What was he trying to do here? Scare her with kindness?  
Because it was working, this was freaking her out. Making her animal side kick in and make her body freeze at the sight of the predator.  
“Just put the damn jacket on!” the man roared and Anna wanted to run but her legs wouldn’t move.

* * *

Victor couldn’t believe what he smelled. She was actually getting scared of this? Him offering a jacket to her? His gesture wasn’t that weird nor definitely terrifying, he had seen men do it for women before and those frails didn't freak out from that!  
Her reaction was irritating.  
  
“Wh- Why the- Why?” she stammered.  
“Because you are getting cold!” Victor shouted and felt just even angrier when she stared him in shock.  
“…And yo- You”, her stammering would have been fun to witness, if it wouldn’t be because of something normal like this. Why was he even doing this anyway? “Care about that… Fo- For what?!”  
Frustration quickly growing inside Sabretooth let out a booming roar, frightening anything nearby away and making the woman cover her ears.  
Why was it so bloody hard to her to except the damn jacket from him!?  
“Do you have to be so goddamn loud!?”  
“Forget it!”  
Victor could only took couple of steps, with the fucking jacket, before he turned and marched back to the woman. She was going to take the jacket; he didn’t care if he needed to force her into it.

* * *

Anna was seriously freaking out of this, not able to move, everything in her panicking.  
She needed to get away before- He was coming back, dammit!  
And it was hard to get angry and to move when he was acting so weirdly, that it was scary.  
Staring at the man, not able to move even an inch, Anna shivered as he stood in front of her.  
He seemed just as angered and confused as she was but she was the one panicking here. And her broken pants sliding down at the same time, she not able to move to pick them up.  
Anna could only stare as the man started looking through her more curiously. Looking her shivering, unmoving form.  
The familiar grin slowly formed onto his face.  
Then the bastard threw the black jacket around her, placing it on her shoulders and holding it there by its collar.  
His smile deepened.  
At least it sparked anger back into Anna, who didn’t like this a one bit.  
  
Next the predator leaned towards her, pulling her to him, and rubbed his sideburn covered cheek against the side of her face. Smelling her.  
Oh, she was getting pissed off now.

* * *

This was really funny.  
The woman being scared of nothing but by him offering a jacket, so much that she couldn’t move. The smell of fear was reeking purely out of her.  
  
The woman’s scent of fear was absurd to Victor. Usually fear was like piss, strong and bitter. But with this one, Anna, her fear was oddly almost tasteless. A bit prickly but cold and white. Covering other smells of her like sweat, cum, anger and her own scent under it, making it all scentless. It was odd.  
But the longer he kept breathing her in, nose near her neck and ear, holding her by his jacket, the angrier she got.  
This was better. Fear really didn’t suit her, especially when it was from something like being given a damn jacket.  
Canine teeth showing through smile Victor got an idea, doing it before the woman would be able to move again.  
  
He blew cold air to the woman’s ear and neck. Making her yelp and jump, making him laugh to her reaction. Even she finally moving and punching him into stomach didn’t stop him from laughing.

* * *

Anna was angry and wanted to wipe that stupid smugness from the asshole's face!  
So next she punched him into his windpipe. That did the trick, making the predator start coughing and wheezing while holding his throat.  
Huffing Anna pulled her pants back up, took hold of the jacket by its collar’s ends and again started marching towards the village.  
She would keep the man’s jacket and then burn it when she would get back to home.  
  
And this time when she heard him coming after her, she kept walking. Ignoring when the feral man started walking next to her. And like a cub who couldn’t learn his lesson he started talking.  
“So you get scared of kindness?”  
“Fu-“ no, not that word. “Go to hell. If by kindness you mean _you_ acting like a desperate virgin, then yeah, I get scared. Puss.”  
Deer senses alarmed she quickly crouched and the hand with claws swung above her head.  
“For god’s sake!”  
They glared at each other.  
“You really have a sensitive pride, puss boy, get a bottle”, Anna barked while getting up, taking a step away from him just in case.  
“I’m a lot older than you.”  
“And that just shows from you so clearly. Was it the puss or virgin that hit home?”  
“Neither, frail prey.”  
  
The two angry ferals glared at each other.  
Then... They both sighed.

* * *

Victor was getting tired of this. Seemed like she was too.  
He half wondered to let her just go as she started walking again.  
But instead he kept following her.  
“Why are you following?” she made the question. He said whatever came into his mind at that moment.  
“Just securing my tired prey from other predators.”  
“ _Your_ prey?”  
The tone of her voice made Victor to smirk.  
“Watch it puss, or this prey cuts off your dick before snapping your neck.”  
Ah, that would be painful, manhood being cut off and then growing it back. Reminded him when Jimmy had done it to his balls in one of their fights. Victor did not want to live through that again.  
  
Giving a cautious glance to the glaring female Victor continued walking with her in silence.  
And this time it was Anna who broke it.  
“So, about Logan.”  
“Jimmy”, he corrected her.  
“Yeah, so why do you want to kill him? Is it some feral or mutant thing? Or you have a past together?”  
“We have a past together”, he then added quickly: “Not as pillow biters.” He was his baby brother after all, and they were both men.  
“Friends?”  
The feral man didn’t like this changed position between them, her now asking the questions. But he still answered, after some thinking.  
“Yeah... Brothers.”

* * *

Guess all feral families had their own problems. Of course Anna was curious to know why these brothers were fighting, or at least why the man next to her was after Logan. But Logan had never mentioned a brother.

“What is your name even?” she asked. He clearly knows hers, and they already screwed, so maybe it was time for names? The mutant man didn’t seem to think the same way, raising his other brow. Anna explained.  
“So I know what to call you, when I fondly remember the time I killed a very particular tough bastard.”  
Anna smirked as the man laughed for her joke. Half-joke.  
“Victor. Or Sabretooth”, he answered, giving his usual grin that showed his canine teeth.  
Huffing to his gesture the woman pulled the jacket more tightly around, the scent of Victor strong at it. She curiously inhaled the smell.  
  
Sabretooth. Fitting name, though Anna didn’t care for those kind of code names. A bit silly they seemed, though she could understand why some used them. She didn’t need one though, she didn’t leave anyone to know it and so use it against her.  
Victor here was just a bit special case at the moment.  
Then he asked in turn.  
“Will you now tell why you hunt mutants?”


	11. Close to fire

The predator’s question didn’t shock nor was uncomfortable to answer to.  
It was just hard to give one clear reason, as Anna never had really thought about it.  
  
She has a deal with Joseph: only hunting mutants or the old man would kill her.  
It would be dangerous to let powerful and aggressive mutants roam freely at her territory.  
She needed to kill them before they would come after her.  
She couldn’t trust on anyone to give her the secureness she yearned and without that feeling she couldn’t relax.  
Living through whole childhood in complete fear, hearing to be faulty and never able to stop the assaults were things that left their marks. Physical and mental. Anna never wanted to feel so powerless and afraid ever again.  
  
So whenever there was a mutant, who was potential attacker and who was to be provoked to come after her, Anna of course fought to kill them. Learned from her mistakes, got over her faults, getting stronger, smarter and faster to be able to rival even stronger mutants than she.  
Nothing felt better than to lure and then surprise a predator, turning the tables and revealing that she was the predator in prey’s clothes.  
Of course not every mutant was a threat. Some were just harmless, and those Anna let be.  
But those that come after her? She would hunt them without mercy.  
  
Victor’s question had brought many memories to the surface. From first prey to the… Current, that was still work in process.  
Anna couldn’t just give one solid answer, even if she actually didn’t have to tell him anything.

* * *

“I don’t want-“  
The woman was finally going to answer after long time of silence, Victor had almost thought she wasn’t going to.  
“...Any other mutants in my territory.”  
“Didn’t know deer were territorials.”  
The glare she gave made him to half smirk.  
“And I thought that sabre-toothed tigers were extinguished.”  
“Not this one.”  
“Maybe I’ll fix that.”  
A full smile spread onto his face.  
“By reproducing?”  
  
Victor’s shoulders shook as Anna’s face turned into deep red. He didn’t even bother to dodge the punch to his ribs, he was laughing so much because of the face she had.  
  
“You are an asshole!”  
“Aaaw, come on”, he spoke while following the woman’s quickened walk. “You did enjoy it.”  
She didn’t say anything back, pulling his jacket so the collar shielded her face from him. Pride, or arrogance, sprouted in Victor’s chest as he kept following the woman. Messing with people was always fun, but he usually messed with them by scaring them to piss their pants. But he found making this headstrong feral get embarrassed and irritated just as fun. Maybe he should try these kind of longer stalks more often.  
  
A hint of arousal, mixed with anger, floated into his nose. Brown eyes glanced at the bambi with surprise.

* * *

The smell of the predator was strong on the jacket. Anna didn’t have as good sense of smell as her ability to hear, but being surrounded by the cloth gave a strong whiff.  
Musky, pine needles, earth, blood, animal and other things from wilderness. It was like whole forest had rub into him and his clothes. With every breath the woman felt comfortable and ease. Despite the ass smart next to her.  
Rich and strong smell, just like back there.  
  
“Want another round?”  
She glanced at Victor, seeing a sly smirk and his puffed chest.  
“Or would it be the third one?”  
“What I said about cutting and snapping?”  
  
He was complete incontinent! One rut and he thought she wanted it if he even hinted about it. He was just an animal, and not in the good way, thinking only about killing and sex. She would do everyone a favor by getting rid of him for good.  
“And just to make it clear; just because there was some fucking by accident, I’m still going to kill you. Got it?”  
Despite him snorting he fortunately did think the same way with her.  
“Didn’t think anything had changed.” Then he added: “But I’ll break you, make begging me to kill you, after I fuck you, bambi.”  
“Good luck with that, puss.”  
  
Huffing to each other the two ferals continued in more comfortable silence.

* * *

The already darkened sky at afternoon was normal during winter, the moon up when they finally got to the edge of the village.  
The rest of the walk had passed in silence, first in comfortable one but then getting awkward bit by bit.  
  
Anna didn’t know what she was doing, or how should she really think about this situation. Her preys didn’t live longer than maybe two days if they were hard to kill at the first time. But the current prey of hers was still alive, already a week behind. And they had now spent the walk without any attempts to kill each other.  
Well, considering what had happened at the forest it was a bit hard to get into killing each other right away. She couldn’t fight in these clothes.  
All in all, it was an awkward situation as hell. And Anna appreciated it very much that the predator didn’t say anything as she gave back the jacket, continuing her journey to the village.  
She needed to take the back alleys to avoid anyone, she was not going to be caught like this.  
  
Taking a peek over her shoulder the female didn’t see the man anymore. Nor heard him lurking around.  
Good, she didn’t need this to get anymore weirder than it already was.  
She finally arrived to the village and the backdoor of the building she lived in. Getting in and up the stairs Anna started to feel very tired.  
The man really had his way of wearing her out. Why was he even still lingering here? Wasn’t he after Logan, so why not just kill her- Well, if he would do that than Sarah and probably Gary would report her disappearing to police. And people already had talked about him, he really hadn’t kept his mutation in low levels at the first day. He practically looked like the bad guy.  
Guess he was just playing with her until Logan would arrive.  
She really would need to think a way to get rid of him. Maybe cutting him into pieces and then dip him into wet concrete?  
That would work if there would just be that much wet concrete around.  
She was too tired to think about the solution.  
And Anna had other problems to worry about, when she saw Sarah sitting in front of her apartment’s door.  
  
“Hey”, Anna spoke softly when seeing her friend, the shorter woman getting up.  
The brunette was shocked of Anna’s appearance.  
“Oh my god what happened to you? I heard some jackass pissed you off and you vanished but- Did he come after you?”  
Smiling tiredly the blond knew this was going to take time. And she kinda needed to ask from Sarah some pills. For a thing. She was not just getting out of this, wasn’t she?

* * *

The female’s scent lingered at his jacket.  
Victor was not sure did he like it or not or should he even care. Opening a door to the abandoned cottage, that he was inhabiting for now, he stepped inside.  
The place was deep in the forest and there were no human traces around the house. Dust was everywhere and things were laying around like who ever had lived here before had just left in middle of things.  
Or died. There was dried, ingrained large pool of blood in the kitchen area.  
  
First Victor walked to the animal carcass at one corner. He had hunted and dragged it in here couple of days back, the meat getting a bit hard and dry as he ripped out a junk from it.  
He would need to get rid of this carcass and hunt fresh tomorrow. Good, he was feeling edgy. Staying in here and not able to do much but harass that female would probably soon bore him.  
Although today had been especially fun.  
That woman was full of surprises that Victor could still explore.  
  
Falling to lay on a large couch the beast man ripped some meat into his mouth, chewing on it in deep thought.  
It would be months before spring and then Logan finally showing up. What kind of man Jimmy was, leaving his woman for half a year and then just visiting for a moment, leaving the firecracker getting into trouble? Sabretooth huffed.  
This was the reason why Silverfox easily got _killed_ by him and then screwed baby brother with her fake death. If Jimmy just had kept an eye on his old lady, he wouldn’t have gotten messed up. At least this time brother had chosen a better one.  
Licking meat juice from his lips Victor smirked, going through all the fun he had with the bambi so far. From fighting to her many faces, to fucking and how she had just ride him wildly.  
Wonder had Jimmy yet used her in the right way? He’s scent was in the woman’s apartment, but Anna had said something about friendship. Logan also hadn’t left any marks on her or her workplace nor her apartment.  
What a waste.  
...Victor scowled.  
And why was he even paying so much mind into that? It didn’t matter what the woman was to Jimmy, as long as he had connection with her, Sabretooth was going to use her to get back to little brother.  
  
Then the thing that Victor had tried to ignore back there, when she had given back the jacket and left without even glancing at him, started coming back.  
Growling Sabretooth stood up enough to get the jacket off of him, throwing it far away and concentrated to just finish the meat. Thinking that he should maybe take some contract or just leave the place for couple of months. Jimmy would surely come back at spring. And the woman wasn’t going anywhere.  
She would just be hunting mutants and act all cocky like with him. She was lucky Sabretooth still had interest to keep her alive.  
But someone else like him wouldn’t think the same way.  
Or if they were, he wouldn’t like it. He didn’t share what was his.  
And that feral female was his to hunt. And to mate. Have fun with. To keep.  
The memory of seeing that scar on her lower back, hearing her talking about her father, her fighting to keep her territory safe…  
Distracting cold shiver, that raise goosebumps, went through Victor’s body, in response to the alien feeling in his chest. Making him whine and feel odd.  
The reaction shocked Victor. Just like when the woman had told about her father. When she was mating him-  
Swallowing Victor felt nervous and uncomfortable.  
  
His instincts had never confused him and he had never had problem to understand nor obey them.  
He was more animal than a man in the end, he didn’t hide like everyone else.  
But now, getting all these things running inside him, instincts giving him mixed up orders as they crossed themselves, confused him even more. And all of them circling only around the bambi.  
Jaw tightly clenching Victor tried something he hadn’t done in years. Only when Jimmy had needed him.  
And now only because he was feeling confused in disturbing way.  
  
Withdrawing from the animal side that had formed into him from the first time he mutated, it taking long time before he started seeing it just a part of him and as a good thing, was hard.  
Uncomfortable and unnatural. Like he was sawing his own hand off with rusted blade.  
There was no line between him and the animal side. There was no human nor animal side to Sabretooth, that only worked on people like Jimmy. They tried to separate themselves from what they were while Victor embraced it.  
He was the animal who wore man’s hide.  
  
Getting up, angry and frustrated, the mutant trashed some furniture around. He couldn’t and he wouldn’t. Whatever this shit was that his instincts were doing to him, no matter how unpleasant and unfamiliar it was, Victor was not going to fight back. But it didn’t mean he was liking this, his senses confusing him and telling him how to act towards the woman.  
  
It didn't feel right. Didn't feel clear to him. Not familiar at all. He should have just stayed away from the woman when he first time started to feel like this.

* * *

Anna was trying to keep her face normal and keep the eye contact as Sarah stared at her in disbelief.  
"...You had sex", the short brunette confirmed, sitting at the bed as Anna put new clothes on after showering and Sarah treating her wounds. The mutant also had to explain the self-stitched shoulder wound, so everything was a bit of a mess now.  
And Anna was not happy to try to solve it with her human friend who couldn't know everything. At times like this, the blond wished she hadn't made friends with the doctor.  
"Yup."  
"In the woods."  
"Yup."  
"With a stranger?"  
"...Yes?"  
The brunette stared for a long moment at her, seeing that she wasn't joking nor telling lies. It was long awkward silence.  
"Well, Anna, I don't... Who is the guy? The man who's rumored to be a mutant, who has been seen at the village for some time?"  
Cheeks blushing and feeling uncomfortable Anna nodded. Could this be over already?  
"And you had sex- He did this to you?"  
"It's not that bad as it looks", the mutant answered dryly. "I really don't wanna talk about this, please. It's really awkward."  
"I'm just worried."  
  
The brunette rose and walked to hug the taller woman. Anna stiffed, just like when their friendship first started, as she didn't want any comfort now. She didn't want to think anything about the bastard nor this whole situation. She wasn't a victim here or anything, she didn't like to be treated like one. She had just... Fucked with her prey. And yes, it was odd. Wrong. Fucking your prey while planning to kill them was so messed up. And she already was a mess, so what did this thing with the bastard make her then?  
The taller hugged the other one.  
"If he's hurting you, you tell me, and we will figure this out together", Sarah told her softly. "I can neuter the guy and Gary can shoot him."  
The words humored Anna so that she laughed. "He didn't rape me Sarah."  
"Maybe. But he clearly wasn't treating you gently", the brunette looked up to her. There was a scowl on her rounded face, making Anna laugh even more.  
"I've have it worse." She was after all covered by scars.  
Huffing the doctor friend let go, walking towards the kitchen.  
"Doesn't mean he can treat you like that. I'll smack him when I see even a glance of him. Now, what do you want to eat?"  
  
Image of the shorter woman going to slap Victor was pretty amusing. He as the big, tall guy and she as the short human who needed a chair to do the act.  
But in reality it would be horrible, no doubt. Anna would need to keep an eye on her friend closely. And figured out how to kill the guy. She needed to plan.  
"Whatever you make is good. Just not much meat."  
"Okay boss."


	12. Play cat and mouse

Ignoring some pity humans who looked at him warily Victor headed towards the bar.  
It was noon, so the woman should be still working. But he was surprised to see through window that she was not behind the counter, but at a corner table. Halting the feral watched as Anna seemed half-sleeping there, head resting on the table and arms acting as a pillow. Another woman, the one who was the doctor in the village and seemed to be Anna’s friend, came to the table.  
Victor chuckled at how bambi startled when being gently shaken awake. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, dumb smile on her face she looked at the shorter woman.  
The feral man curiously tilted his head. He concentrated on the softness that Anna’s face held as she spoke to the other woman. Then her face changed into a surprised one and then into a playful as the doctor lifted heavy looking bag on to the table.  
  
Used to seeing the bambi mostly angry it was odd seeing her face having more relaxed expressions. Victor wondered could he make her do those faces to him.  
He already had seen her embarrassed and shocked.  
Huffing with a smile he started heading towards the front door.

* * *

Anna looked drowsily as Sarah hold out two small paper letters and explained their content.  
“So this one has pills to be taken after sex-“  
“Pills?” She needed just one.  
“Better safe than sorry.”  
Rolling her hazel eyes the blond took one of the letters, immediately swallowing one pill before putting the envelope into her hoodie’s pocket.  
“And this one has sleeping powder in it, you know how to use it. Should be enough for a month. Really strong, okay?”  
“Yes doctor Sarah”, the mutant female yawned while taking the next letter straight into her pocket. She really needed that sleeping stuff. Last night had been really crappy one. It hasn’t been a bad dream, per se, those she already had learned to deal with, but… It was disturbing enough. With sleeping powder, she could sleep without dreaming.  
  
Unfortunately the human woman couldn’t stay longer as her lunch break was almost over. She just made a quick round to give Anna the letters and the bag of medical books. Those that told about brains and nerve systems.  
The feral woman needed all resources to figure out how to eliminate Victor.  
Waving to her friend Anna took out one book, flipping it through shallowly and then glancing as Sarah opened the door.  
The feral's eyes widened as she saw who else was at the door.  
Speak of the devil and he may come. Crap.

* * *

“Oh sorry”, the doctor quickly apologized when she almost run to him at the door. Not even glancing at him the short woman hurried away.  
Not paying much attention to the human Victor looked towards the corner table. Seeing Anna there reading a book in a bit uncomfortable looking position. Or she was trying to hide behind it, from him?  
Half-chuckling to the cub-like behavior the feral man walked to the corner table, taking a seat opposite of the woman.  
She didn’t look at him.  
  
Tilting his head to side Victor read the book’s back cover. Medical book.  
“Interesting looking”, he started, relaxing backwards on his chair and taking a comfortable position. “Didn’t think you as a reader.”  
He waited for a moment.  
Smelling, for his surprise, a small hint of arousal but after that just irritation.  
“Your little friend almost bumped onto me there. Didn’t even look at me while apologizing.”  
Although the woman stiffened and her fingers gripped on the book more forcefully, she still didn’t glance at him.  
Leaning against the table with crossed arms Sabretooth growled lightly and stared, but got nothing in response. She was really ignoring him, giving him this childish treatment.  
That wouldn’t go well with Sabretooth. He wouldn’t take it but he wouldn’t use just blunt force, too easy.  
He felt like playing with his prey.

* * *

She had thought about leaving when the predator started approaching, but then thought otherwise.  
This was her territory, her bar and her table, so if someone had to leave then it defiantly wasn’t she.  
Anna wasn’t going to escape like a coward.  
But she also didn’t want to deal with Victor now. The yesterday was still fresh in mind, the dream not helping, and being troublesome. Thought it was just sex, nothing else, but Anna really didn’t do that and not especially saw the other party after the act.  
It didn’t help that she had fucked her prey.  
  
“Hey, glass of beer!” the puss ordered. Anna almost wanted to snap that was he going to pay for it this time, but she kept her mouth shut.  
  
So, not wanting to leave nor pay attention to the predator, maybe he would just go away, Anna took the childish road and ignored him. And she was happy with the decision.  
For a short time, before the other also started acting childish.  
The current working middle aged waitress brought a cold beer, placing it on the table and glancing curiously between them before going away.  
Then he started.  
  
First Anna could hear how he carved with his claw on the table. The act letting small screech sounds now and then, making her ears irritated every time. She fought against the urge to look at him, or what he was drawing, and kept staring at the pages while rubbing her ears.  
Luckily he finally stopped it and for a moment just drunk his beer.  
Then he continued.  
  
At first she was not sure what he was doing, but then understood that he was moving the bag, which Sarah had left on the table. Judging from the sounds he was nudging it with short pushes towards the edge.  
And Anna couldn’t help but lift her other leg onto the surface and stop him from pushing the bag over the table's edge.  
Holding herself from glaring at the man she moved the bag back to the table’s center with her leg.  
Turning a page she fought back a smile, waiting for what would the puss come up with next.

* * *

Victor couldn’t help it, he didn’t like to be ignored. Ask from Jimmy boy, he knew. Or would if he wouldn’t have let Stryker mess with his head. Stupid runt.  
So, how long would the bambi ignore him?  
  
The woman put her leg back down and kept reading, or pretended to. Was she seriously thinking she would find a way to kill him from a medical book?  
Huffing he moved his left leg to touch the woman’s own under the table. She lifted it and crossed it over with her other one. When Victor was going to push the book bag again, Anna lifted the whole thing down to the floor.  
“You’re acting really childish”, he pointed out with a smirk. “Or are you shy because of yesterday?”  
No reason to, it had been good after all. But it seemed like he was right as he got a whiff of arousal and something similar to irritation but not so sour. Embarrassment? Surprised but pleased Victor hold himself from getting up to see the other’s expression.  
  
Instead he glanced on other things on the table. Two cups with spoons and one plate.  
Having an idea he gulped down his beer, leaning forward and starting to move the dishes.  
The woman lift the book, not much, to take a peek as he was just putting small plate on one coffee cup. Victor grinned.  
Then he placed his empty beer glass upside down on the dish tower. Of course he had built the thing so it trembled from slightest move on the table.  
He glanced, seeing that the woman didn’t move the book away or back but kept looking from under it. Next the predator put a spoon balancing on the beer glass. And at the same, leaning against the table with one arm, the beast man slightly kept tipping the table.  
The clattering from the tower increased.  
  
When Anna finally put the book down Victor thought he had won. But with interest he looked as the woman started taking books out of the bag and arranging them around the dish tower, still not looking at him.  
Then she just returned back to the book, after she had put others to support the tower.  
There was a smug smile on her face.  
Did she really thought she had just outsmarted Sabretooth? Because that wasn’t the case, he wasn’t one of the strongest mutants for nothing.  
  
Undoing the dish tower quickly the middle age looking brawn man with dark sideburns and predator’s claws started making a new one. And this time he put also the books into the tower, easily putting dishes and books one upon another.

* * *

Anna listened, brows knitting, as the puss clearly was doing something with the dishes but she didn’t look up straight away. But then her prey instincts started to alert, so she put the book down and looked.  
Her eyes widened and she stared at the newly arranged tower middle of the table, it composing dishes and books on top one another.  
The whole thing swayed dangerously. Surely it was going to crash down in a second.  
And yet, the bastard was still going to put his beer glass on top of the whole thing.  
Hovering the glass over the swaying coffee cup but not just yet placing it.  
  
Leaning back and crossing her arms the prey feral looked at the large hand that hold the glass. She was not going to do anything.

* * *

The woman didn’t say anything but stayed put.  
So, ever so slowly, Victor started lowering the glass. The whole tower trembled when the contact happened.  
And the whole tower collapsed, object falling and making a racket. Books crashing down and dishes rolling on the table over the edges.  
The two ferals were still, the woman leaning on her chair backwards and arms crossed while the man was still holding the beer glass on the air.  
  
They stared straight at each other, smiles spreading onto their faces, shoulders starting to shake.  
“Hey! Stop breaking things!” the bar worker yelled from the counter.  
“So- Sorry!” Anna barked, breaking into laughing and leaned against the table.  
Putting down the glass Victor also started laughing, finally having the woman’s attention and making her crack up. Maybe he shouldn’t be so pleased about it but he didn’t care.  
The two feral mutants laughed for the whole childish happening, looking at each other and smiling widely.  
The woman tried to calm down by folding arms around her head as she leaned against the table. Didn’t seem to help.  
  
Victor looked with amusement and wonder, calming down before the woman. Who would have known that easily pissed off frail was also easily amused?  
With interest Sabretooth observed her laugh.  
Different from her base voice Anna’s laugh was bubbling, colorful and light. She had strongly expressive face when she wasn't angry and scowling.  
Feeling proud of having her laughing Victor half-smiled, one corner rising.  
"Will I now get your attention?"


	13. Telling truth

Anna bolted to snatch the glass.  
But the feral male quickly retreated it from her reach, sharply lifting one brow with a playful smile.  
Leaning against the messy table with one hand the woman huffed, also smiling, and looked into those dark eyes as she hold out her hand.  
“Yes, so give the glass now.”  
She kept still when the predator leaned towards her, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent. The act so animalistic and predatory and yet it didn’t nervous her at all. The man’s smile deepened as his eyes opened.  
“Why, it’s my glass?”  
“With your childish behavior, you're just gonna break it. And whose gonna pay for that too?”  
“Too?”  
Sitting back down, folding her arms, Anna’s smile turned into frown. He sure was playful one. Like a darn cat.  
“You didn’t pay your beer last time. You owe me.”  
“Can’t we count the yesterday?”  
A short laugh erupted from the woman's lips and she didn’t hesitate to say back. If Victor was going to act like this, then why should she be disturbed?  
“Please, that wouldn’t have paid even glass of water to you.”  
  
Annoyed snarl came as response. Smiling smugly the feral female thought how the male’s pride was always so easy to poke. She watched the lengthened claws against the beer glass.  
However, the raising and over the table leaning man demanded her attention back to his face. There being a challenging, dark look on him.  
“Really now?”

* * *

Oh she was a lousy liar. And Sabretooth wanted to make her eat her words for that.  
“Oh yes.”  
Victor glanced down to her lips that formed into a wide smirk. It annoyed him but also excited. Especially with that look in her brown eyes and as her cheeks’ red color just kept deepening.  
“Don’t know what are you so smug about. Logan’s so much bet-“  
Claws ripped through fabric as Sabretooth grabbed the woman by her shirt’s front. Pulling the prey feral half-standing as she didn’t do anything to stop his actions. The amusement quickly vanished as the duo glared at each other.  
“Oi!”  
“It’s okay Hanna!”  
Victor’s grip kept getting harder, rumbling growl raising from his chest as the blond tilted her head. “You really have a frail pride you know.”  
“Keep talking and I prove you wrong on this table, right away.”  
If the frail’s attitude wouldn’t be so damn irritating Victor would have enjoyed of the scent of her arousal. But he wasn’t going to stand just anything from this bitch just because she was a good fuck.  
For a moment he thought he had intimidated her into silence but he also knew her stubbornness wouldn’t yield.  
And at the same time the bittersweet scent of her sex was annoyingly distracting. If she wanted to be fucked so badly then he would gladly give it to her. Turn her over onto her knees and make her beg.

* * *

Anna was actually hesitating to keep her calmness going. She wasn’t sure would the predator really do that kind of think right in here, where there was couple of customers, the worker and then Joseph upstairs.  
If he would, then Anna would yell Hanna get the rifle out and shoot this idiot.  
Even if this was kinda exciting in its own way, the feral woman wasn’t going to be humiliated. But she was unyielding and not in the good way. If she was tried to push around, she would just struggle harder.  
  
Acting fast the prey feral got up and rammed her forehead against surprised Victor’s face. Breaking his nose and shaking him enough to get out of his grip. Then taking support from the table she flipped her lower body to kick with both legs from side.  
Everyone in the room rose and withdraw from the fighting couple, Hanna crouching to take the gun out.  
  
...Or that _would_ probably have happened, the whole nose breaking and kicking, everyone freaking out and guns relieved to shoot the infuriated mutant, _if_ Anna would have hit her forehead into Victor’s face.  
But that wouldn’t have cause nothing else than a big mess. And she knew when to wait and when to strike.  
Timing was everything in hunting.  
Anna did get up, but she pulled a smile to her face as a plan formed in her mind.  
“How about some fun? A game?”

* * *

With suspicious look the large mutant observed the woman.  
Victor couldn’t help but be curious what she had in mind.  
And before anyone would do anything stupid to make him angrier, he let go of her. They both settled back down and waiting for her to talk the mutant male watched as the woman first cleaned their mess. Placing books into the bag and dishes onto the table, then called the waitress to their table.  
“Three bottles of whiskey and two glasses please. I pay.”  
The waitress took the dishes away and Victor was getting more and more curious.  
“So what’s the game, bambi?”  
“A drinking game.”  
  
The waitress came back and placed the order before leaving.  
  
Disappointed the beast man huffed and relaxed. He couldn’t get drunk. Not without some extreme things that would kill any other person. But the woman was persistent.  
“Are you scaredy-cat?”  
And thinking about her drunk and trying to make him lose made Victor keep listening.  
“Okay, rules.” she started as he just kept looking at her while pouring alcohol into his glass. “On our own turns we choose either accusation, that other one makes of you, or we answer other’s question and answer to it. Truthfully. When you get an accusation that's true, you take a sip. If it's false, the accuser takes a sip. Understood?"  
"Yeah yeah”, he said while taking a swig from his drink.  
Then asked: “You think you can hold your liquor bambi?”

* * *

“Just worry of yourself”, Anna said while filling her own glass with whiskey.  
And so the game started, the predator gesturing towards her.  
“Ladies first. Question.”  
“When were you born?”  
Victor had said he was older than her. And though physically he was, his healing factor made her think how old he actually was. Anna was truly curious, not saying anything as the man seemed to think deeply for the answer. Finally, he said unsurely, taking a swig from his drink.  
“Somewhere at 1800s, I guess.”  
The answer made Anna forget to remind Victor of the rules, she staring and blinking in mild shock, that amused the predator. So that made him, wait, over 200 years old? Seriously?!  
“God you’re old. Seriously, you are like- Does that make you a child molester towards me?”  
The feral male didn’t like the joke.  
“ _No_. My turn”, he growled.  
“Accusation.”  
“I was your first fuck.”  
She waited for a moment, not smiling nor frowning, then when he didn’t drink, she pointed at his glass.  
“Sip up.”  
Anna rolled her eyes to Victor surprised face. If she would have been virgin she wouldn’t have walked out of the woods like nothing, idiot.  
“Accusation”, he chose next.  
“Your head has been cut off before.”  
She cursed when he took a large gulp with raised corners, she also choosing accusation.  
“You had a rough childhood.”

* * *

“That’s not fair”, the woman whined but the rules were the rules, even made by her. So as he followed them she hadn’t anything to complain about. And Victor wanted to see her drunk already. How many swig would she need?  
He also chose accusation this time. And so the drinking game kept going for awhile.  
  
They both were trying to make other one drink at every turn, but they also wanted to know more about each other.  
Forgetting the questioning possibility, they kept going with the accusation choice. Where Anna’s arguments were more about Victor’s powers, their origin, limits, what was he capable of and so on, Victor’s were more personal.  
Like how old was she, when had she mutated, when did she kill for first time or had she ever left the village.  
For some reason they didn’t ask anything too oppressive, at least at the beginning, staying on more stuff that they could guess from each other and so get the other one to drink. Both of them had too much pride to cheat, like Anna saying Victor had been in this and that war after he had said, he was in both World Wars and others.  
  
The beast man was pleased when the woman was starting to get tipsy. She gulped down the last of her whiskey, filling it for the third time.  
And as she started to get more relaxed, they started to get into more fun stuff.  
“You wash yourself with your tongue. Like a cat.”  
Laughing softly Victor answered. “Not usually, sip again, bambi.”  
They had stopped from letting the other one to choose the question choice, as it wasn’t used at all. Leaning on the table in comfortable position he leered.  
“You’ve run naked in the forest.”  
“Who hasn’t, haven’t you?”  
She hadn’t sipped but he let it slide this time.  
“Yes”, he admitted, feeling his groin reacting to his arousing. “It feels good to run in the forest without _any_ limits. Especially with someone.” Or after someone.  
She didn’t sound too impressed though, taking a sip.  
“A-ha.”  
“You have never run with someone?”  
She shook her head at first, but then smirked. “I have run _after_ someone, I think that counts in.”  
Oh how unused the woman was. Did you have any balls Jimmy?  
“No it doesn’t”, he assured, sitting straight. “It’s much different.” He could show her, teach her. She was sharp, she would learn quickly and if not, he wouldn’t mind of repeating. Show her until he got bored and killed her.  
Or maybe not killed.  
Blinking Victor looked at the woman with a slight frown.

* * *

Not wanting to start pointless argument Anna let the puss think whatever he wanted.  
“Okay”, she paused for a moment with a bit hazy mind. She needed to hang on, just throw something. “You miss your brother?”  
It was a half-joke, she thinking that Victor and Logan had really inflamed connection considering everything. And hey, if the two were brothers, did it mean Logan too was over 200 years old?  
“No”, the beast man said, gulping from his drink and standing up from his seat. “I need to empty the hose.”  
Raising brow to the sudden soreness in his attitude she joked. “Need help with that?”  
She was rewarded by a laugh, he looking down at her as he halted next to.  
“Sure, it needs two hands to be held up.”  
Giggling Anna slapped playfully at the smirking mutant.

* * *

Washing his hand Victor glanced at himself from mirror. Dark scowl forming as the woman accusation replayed in his mind. Miss... Letting out a snarl he exit the bathroom and went back to the table, dropping down to his chair.  
“So, what would it be bambi?” he wondered with a half-smile.  
“Accusation.”  
He took a minute to think about it, huffing as he got one.  
“Killing makes you hot. You enjoy of it.”  
“No, I don’t.”  
Barking out a laugh Victor looked unimpressed at the woman, who being stared at added with a bit of uncertainty.  
“I mean, not like that.”  
Taking another gulp, emptying his glass, the beast man pressed on.  
“Just admit it, you like it.” He refilled his glass. "The adrenaline, the fighting, pain, anger, blood, making them fight back and then killing them. How they realize they didn't have a chance."  
He looked at her sharply.  
“Feeling like a beast, alive.”  
…She seemed really unsure. It intrigued him.

* * *

Anna kept turning her glass around, now and then looking at the man.  
“I don’t do it for fun”, she tried. The silence was uncomfortable for her.  
“Then why, exactly?”  
“I told you already. I don’t want competi-“  
“Bullshit.” She watched as he leaned towards. “All those who have come after you”, he spoke in low, dark tone. “Most of them did it because you made them. They weren't for settling here. You _wanted_ to kill.”  
“...I don’t wanna talk about this”, she said oppressively, glancing down to the book bag and start making a leave.  
“Hey.”  
She looked at him. There was no hostility between the two, Victor was not even smiling and Anna felt nervous because of this relaxed atmosphere. And not because she was intimidated by him.  
  
“You can tell me.”  
He sounded surprisingly sincere, no hint of mischievousness in his deep and dark voice. Then he said smugly.  
“I bet, that I have done far worse things than you. I can't judge you."  
His cockiness actually made Anna smile instead of wanting to kick his leg under the table. But. She hadn’t talk about this even with Logan. He was a good guy after all, but also the only mutant Anna knew and was actually friends with so-  
“I promise.” the puss pressed on.  
She wasn’t sure how but Victor made her believe in his words.  
“I guess I… Kinda feel good. About it.” the woman admitted while sitting back down.  
“Yeah?”  
She nodded.  
“Yeah, the whole thing. Seeing and deciding the target. Planning how to get to them. Challenging and fighting, leading them on. Surprising them.” Just thinking about it got her excited, she smiling more when seeing Victor’s smirk and not disgust or disapproval. He was listening, seeming to enjoy.  
“And when they understand that, what they thought about me was wrong, seeing defeat in their eyes.”

* * *

He wouldn’t lie.  
Hearing her to get excited and telling about her hunting, imagining her lurking and making the unaware prey come after her, with that spark in her warm eyes and using those legs of hers… It excited him.  
“It does feel good”, she said almost shyly but he saw it. The same smile Anna had back at the woods when she rode him. Predator in prey’s clothes.  
“I bet”, he said, keeping the purr in his chest silent and trying to drown it with another swig from his drink. The woman smelled liked aroused and excited. With that look on her face as she smiled widely.  
“But I still don’t do it for the fun.”  
Snorting he rolled his eyes.  
“Territorial is part of being a feral. Territory is only for oneself or pack, mates.”  
His words made her react in a way that he hadn’t really expected. He had surprised himself already with his honest words.  
“You have your own territory?” she asked with suspicious look and asking it seriously. Relaxing after he answered.  
“The whole world is my territory, bambi.”  
“And yet you are still here.”  
  
The woman knew very well why he was still around. Until Logan would come at spring, Sabretooth would keep an eye on the area and the woman. She was his prey now, his and no-one else’s.  
Only his.  
  
The woman abruptly stood up and grabbed the bag from the floor.  
“Where you going?” Victor asked and tried to get up.  
But had to lean on the table and get back down to his chair. He felt a bit funny. His head and body not completely under control. Getting up fast had made him feel sudden dizziness, not strong but enough to surprise him.  
Looking at the woman getting jacket on and a smile on her face he knew: she had done something.  
“It’s just sleeping powder”, she explained. “Wanted to see how much would a month portion affect you. Seems like it works.”  
What a sly prey. A sly, sexy little bitch prey.  
Half irritated and impressed Victor growled silently.  
“You’ll pay for this bambi.”  
“Sure puss. Thanks for the game.”  
  
Sabretooth scowled deeply as he watched the giggling woman to say goodbye to the waitress and leave the bar.  
Sleeping powder. She had slipped in his drink sleeping powder as he had been at the bathroom.  
It angered him, irritated him. And at the same time amused him with no limits.  
Darkly chuckling the beast man took a comfortable position in the hard wooden seat.  
Shouldn’t take long for the effect stop in him. He could wait for it.  
  
And when he could move without difficulty again, he would make a visit to the bambi’s home. She needed to be punished.


	14. Shattering to pieces

It hadn’t been even an hour nor half when the powder wore off and Sabretooth got up without any funny feelings.  
Fixing the black jacket on him and Anna’s scent still lingering the feral man turned to go after the female.  
It was already dark, even though it was just five o’clock at evening, and snowing heavily when he stepped outside.  
Following the smoky scent of hers the predator realized she had gone straight to home.  
Stopping Victor looked at the dark window of her apartment.  
  
She had played with and then drugged a predator, then just gone straight to home?  
If she was not going to ambush him when he climbs in, Sabretooth would be offended.  
And he was: the room was dark and the body nested in the bed was Anna.  
She moved slightly as the large feral closed the window after getting in. Then her form settled and her breathing continued evenly. Listening carefully for a moment Victor’s suspicion was confirmed.  
Bambi was asleep without a care in the world while he was after her. Really, Victor felt deeply offended.  
And so decided to take a full advance of the situation.  
First taking off everything, and just leaving the clothes on the floor, he moved naked in the dark room. Finding effortlessly the bathroom that was almost ridiculously small to him. Stuffed in the stall shower he took his time to clean up.  
Rubbing the dirt off and letting his muscles get loose under the warm water until it started to turn cold. Getting out of the box was relief and the feral didn’t hesitate to get out of the small dark room while drying himself with a towel.  
  
He stopped at the door, with towel covering the top of his head. He hadn’t listened the female to get up.  
Yet there she was, leaning against wall right next to the bathroom door. Victor hadn’t tried to stay quiet, but he would have preferred her to be at the bed when he would get out-  
“Hey”, she said in such a soft tone it was hard to believe it came from her. Usually her voice was raspy and sharp when she talked to him. The change made Victor suspicious of the prey’s intentions, glancing to see where her hands where and he was ready for her to kick him.  
However, she just boldly grabbed his hanging arm and pulled towards the bed.  
  
Victor was not sure what was with her, though maybe she was too sleepy to react to his sudden presence like at that one morning, but he wouldn’t deter. Seeing her in just briefs, her smell everywhere in the room and her gentle hold on his wrist was getting him excited. Letting her lead him like damn doggy in a leash  
He would be in the woman immediately when she would open her legs, or he would open them, however she would like it.  
But he would prefer her fucking him back, on top of him and under him, giving that smile with beastly dominance. Usually the women that Creed took where either not fucking him back or did it to get something from him. Mercy or money, or both.  
He had experienced what surrendering or breaking pussy felt like. But he hadn’t much felt one that took him in and hold him there with hotness and softness that made him purr in a new way.  
  
Dropping the wet towel Victor let himself be pulled into the bed with the female. Getting already onto his back and ready to hold her on top of him.  
So the beast man was a bit confused, when she just pulled thick blankets over them and settled to snuggle next to him. Molding against his side and getting all comfortable, one arm over his chest, upper leg on his right one, like he was some god damn teddy bear.  
It was a weird position and so almost obnoxious. He didn’t snuggle. He wanted to fuck.  
He just was going to move when Anna’s hand across his chest hugged him tighter for a moment and a happy sigh unraveled from her lips. The breath tickled and warmed against his skin, making him stiffen in many ways.  
  
...He was a bit unsure here now.  
His instincts yet again mixed and telling him to do many things for the strong willed, feisty, cunning woman.  
Most of the things in his head were clear and pleasant. Like fucking with her, playing with and hunting.  
He would like to see how much she would piss off if he would compete her in a hunt. He would need to really run and take shortcuts to pass her. Or maybe he would turn the hunt upside down and start hunting her instead. Get her really fired up because of him, start attacking him and wear new, fresh marks from him.  
Show her just how much better it would be with him.  
Frowning Victor halted at his thoughts. It almost sounded like he wanted to keep this frail. Not to kill her in the end, or maybe if it would come to that, but just keep her.  
Take with him.  
  
Victor swallowed, still rigid and now getting more and more irritated of everything. The whole situation. Her warmth and closeness against him. Her scent surrounding him. His fucked up instincts going haywire.  
Claws in his fingertips started to lengthen. His heartbeats getting stronger.  
Why the hell Jimmy had to choose this frail? Why couldn’t he just keep with the small fragile frails who would easily get snapped by Sabretooth?  
What the fuck was happening to him?  
  
Like sensing his tension the woman whimpered and moved against him. Bending the arm on his chest so that her fingers stroked calmly his thick and dark chest hair.  
He watched her fingers redo the movement couple of times, feeling her forehead resting against his biceps and she mumbling something.  
The raising irritation inside of the beast man halted.  
His heart rate settled back to normal and he took a deep breath. He was getting overworked for nothing. Hadn’t he already made the decision just to do as his nature told him? Though he wasn’t sure, or maybe he didn’t want to know, what his instincts were trying to tell him.  
At the same time, he knew what he wanted from her and then he wasn't so sure. The word  _his_  was clear, but after that word?  
  
Anna moved again against him, fingers gently tugging his chest hair and making him lightly snarl.  
“What’s wrong Logan?”

* * *

Anna had been sleepy when finally arriving to home.  
After restless night and then the drinking game with the puss had taken their toll on her. As soon as she closed her apartment’s door behind she just took almost everything off, air against bare body making her dive into bed without doing anything else.  
The dark room and silence helped the feral woman fall into sleep without a problem.  
With the powder she wouldn’t see any weird nor disturbing dreams, but maybe with alcohol it would be the same. It wasn’t but the dream wasn’t a bad one. Nor good, she wasn’t sure. Couldn’t remember much of it as she woke up softly to the sound of the shower going on.  
Sarah would have woken her up first. Probably ask if she was alright for being at this time of day in bed.  
So, in her sleepy state and especially after the dream, the tall blond thought it was Logan.  
He sometimes came in middle of a night, straight to her home with the key she had once given to him.  
  
Getting up and away from the bed was hard but she did it anyway. Sometimes Logan was sometimes stupidly gentleman and slept in her armchair instead of in bed with her. Sometimes Anna suspected he was doing it on purpose to tease her. She had told that she liked how other person would warm her in the same bed. She liked closeness.  
It helped her to relax and sleep so much better than any medicine.  
Standing next to the bathroom’s door the prey feral leaned against a wall, yawning and shivering. She didn’t want to stay cold anymore than was necessary, so she immediately took hold onto Logan’s arm and practically dragged him into bed.  
  
It was a bit odd though, how after getting under covers and settling against him Anna felt the feral man so tensed. Had something happened? She didn’t want to ask now though. He probably didn’t even want to talk about it. In the morning then.  
Or however long they would sleep, Anna was going to nap as long as she could at least. And she was not gonna let the beast man get up before she would. Her bed, her rules.  
But Logan wasn’t going to relax at all. She heard his heartbeat suddenly getting rabid and frowning she tried to calm him.  
She would surely ask later.  
But when he started to growl, what he rarely did and especially towards her, Anna couldn’t keep trying to sleep.  
“What’s wrong Logan?”  
  
Angry snarl, she forced onto her back, sudden crushing weight on her and claws on her shoulders woke Anna up for good. Her eyes opened with confuse and alarm, her breath jamming as her prey senses took over.  
Seeing the bastard pussycat on top her didn’t help and she swallowed. Her legs trembled and her arms were prisoned against her sides by Victor’s legs. She felt the fear freezing her insides like vines, paralyzing her.  
It was like she was trapped inside her body, only able to curse in her mind and stare up to the angry looking predator.  
  
“Surprised?” he growled, smile creeping to his face slowly and his brows smoothing. Blinking Anna swallowed again, trying to find the power of anger inside and get over the fright that the bastard had caused to her. Large hand with claws moved to her throat, giving a slight pressure.  
“Answer.”  
She couldn’t, swallowing again to get herself relaxed and keep any whimpers and cries away. The weight on her was crushing and she could only take shallow gasps. She was fucked. She was utterly fucked now and that was completely her fault. For letting her guard down and letting herself relax with a predator in her territory.  
Letting him be and not pursue him until he was dead. Letting him get near her and play with without any caution.

* * *

The way how the frail under him had gone into complete fear amazed him greatly. The smell of fear overwhelming and covering everything else from his nose. Her reaction fading his hot anger away just like that.  
He felt her swallowing rapidly, heard her frightened heart and felt her body tense and trembling. It excited him. Finally, at last she was completely afraid of him. Staring him like the worst monster she could meet.  
Stroking clawed thumb against her throat he waited for another moment for her to answer. She wouldn’t though. Scared frails could never answer to him without a problem, voice either dying in their throat or it came out so much trembling he would not understand. Anna seemed to be the earlier mentioned.  
Leaning downwards, holding on at her throat, Victor breathed in the fear. Or her fear. It was still different from the rest. Tasteless. Covering and making everything else lose their traits. Anna’s fear was the opposite of her anger.  
Her anger wouldn’t cover other scents but mix around them, taking them in and making them part of it. Feeding itself to become stronger. Leaving their traces into it like a map.  
  
The powerful feral smiled fully at the female, with that smirk he always gave. But her scent didn’t change.  
The light brown eyes like chestnuts started to water. Her breathing was getting faster.  
“Nothing to say bambi, before I snap your neck?”  
She had fine muscles on her neck, strong and flexible just like the rest of her body. She hadn’t much of figure, small breasts that his hands easily covered them, but she wasn’t a weak frail. She was born to move and strike to kill. She knew how to use her body that now trembled under him from fear.  
She whimpered, closing her eyes and her shoulders shook.  
The smile finally dropped from Sabretooth as he observed and didn’t see any changes on the woman. Not the usual hoax she would pull before snapping into action to fight back.  
...She was actually afraid and not able to get over it.  
A ghostly feel of ache in chest surprised Victor. Making him loosen his hold on the woman, smelling blood from her shoulders he had dig in his claws. He also started to smell shame, a hint, before it was covered by the damn fear.  
  
Did he really finally break her? So easily? Without torturing her for hours, stripping her from everything she was, spilling blood and organs until she was completely empty? Without breaking her soul with threatening that doctor friend or exposing her doings to everyone in the village?  
Sabretooth felt disappointed.  
And was even more confused when the feeling was not just pointed to the woman but also him. Because he hadn’t earned her fear? No, it wasn’t that. Something else.  
And that something made his chest feel uncomfortable pressure, making him get up when the woman finally got her ability to move back and started shakily pushing him off of her.  
  
Victor felt his mind go blank for a moment, as bambi took out a gun from under the bed. And pointed it to her own head.

* * *

She felt disgusted. She was disgusting.  
Weak, afraid, not able to do anything. She just thought she was safe when that was never the truth. She maybe had killed father, stabbed his face in with a knife, but it didn’t mean she was safe. Someone always came after her, someone always watched her and stalked, ready to jump and make her to submit.  
She couldn’t keep even one isolated shitty village as her own territory.  
Not even her goddamn own bed.  
  
Just seeing the predator on top of her, leering and smirking to her prey instincts, humiliating her made her sick and weak. She had promised: never again. She would ever and never submit to be anyone’s prey again and take it without a fight.  
So when she, crying and half-naked, get the man off and stretched her arm under the bed, she didn’t hesitate to bring the gun to her head.


	15. Urges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Smut

Anna really didn’t like guns. Their loudness and her sensitive ears didn’t mix up well.  
She didn’t use any guns in her hunts because of that.  
But if someone would break into her home, then she wanted to kill them effectively, fast and for good.  
The one she hides under her bed is for shooting bears at close quarters. Kicks hard and doesn’t leave anything into halfway.  
  
It was however smacked out of her hands now. Claws hurting her hardels in the process but the pain didn’t register into her mind. Then there was a sharp growl as she was dragged onto her back. Bared teeth were only inches away from her face, claws digging into her right shoulder and a living weight was on top of her.  
She froze. Kept still in front of threat.  
Dark eyes with frightening gleam stared into her in the dim light that came from street lights outside.  
Her heart beat against her chest rapidly, her breathing shallow and quick.  
The beast over Anna kept showing its teeth, eyes staring and claws holding her bare shoulder painfully.  
The strong growl kept warning her as it came out steadily. At first she couldn’t hear it through panicked mind and beating heart. But it was persistent and commanding, working its way through.  
It wasn’t vicious. It wasn’t what beast gives when it slowly stalks its prey. It was warning and angry yes, but not threatening.  
  
Slowly, that growl keeping her focused and still, Anna’s breathing started to calm down as also did her heart.  
Her mind slowly settled back as she blinked her wet eyes. She took a shaky breath. And then wondered what had happened and why Victor was over her, naked, but the growling and the teeth kept her from doing anything sudden.  
She was mostly confused and a bit worried.  
Feeling a bad hunch that she had suffered one of her attacks when the bastard had surprised her.

* * *

The female was finally settling. Good. Victor wasn’t going to let the female go though, didn’t want her to do anymore stupid shit like pulling that gun out. And she still wasn’t completely calm.  
He needed her to be calm. He couldn’t relax if she couldn’t.  
He hadn’t been this driven to stop someone from killing themselves ever, making him go full animal and all. Although Victor usually was the animal, he still kept so he could use his human conception.  
No need to be so stupid you couldn’t walk on two legs or understand talking.  
  
He hadn’t known what to do with the panicking woman. So that he wouldn't make it worse. Sabretooth hurts people, helping them was Jimmy's thing. But the gun had really unsettled the feral male and so made his instincts go fully on. It was a funny feeling, all these things in his head so clear and reasonable now. Not alien anymore but just natural.  
Keep her safe.  
  
He couldn’t yet stop keeping the female down, but he could take his claws off. Didn’t need pain anymore to keep her focused. They weren’t even in deep but blood still oozed out and the female flinched as he pulled his talons out. It was the same shoulder he had bitten into. The stitches and the scab had opened somewhat and his claws had sank between the teeth marks.

* * *

Anna was not sure what the hell Victor was doing but she still couldn’t move. She frowned when the man leaned down, teeth not bared anymore, then he started to lick her wounded shoulder. The tongue rasping against her skin, the bite wound and now the fresh claw marks. It ached with every stroke.  
She tried to keep the whimpering away, tried to get her body to move.  
She needed to act, she needed to get away from him. Son of bitch had invaded into her home, attacked her and now he was acting all weird!  
And... Was he purring?  
The woman’s mind halted as she focused to listen the soft sound.  
Yeah, he was purring. Like a big damn cat. Victor was out of his mind, great. What else?

* * *

She was getting anxious again. She had a bad habit to easily do that.  
She wasn’t struggling though so there was no need to warn nor restrain again.  
So Sabretooth started purring while cleaning her wounds. It was a bit hard at first, he hadn’t needed to purr to calm someone for a long time. Jimmy had been the one. But Victor's voice finally found its low, steady and soft tone to do that after a try.  
It soon worked and he could hear how her heart started to calm down again, her body relaxing under him.  
Very good.  
  
Changing his position Sabretooth leaned against his elbows and took some of his weight off from the female, still keeping her trapped as he wasn’t done yet. Needed to clean these wounds properly, so she wouldn’t get pissed off and anxious again. Troublesome mate.

* * *

Much easier to breath Anna kept getting more and more calmer. Listening to that odd purr that the man kept doing, the warmth and closeness of his body keeping her warm. These almost made her ignore the sting whenever he licked the wounds.  
Could he stop that? She wanted to see and clean them by herself, not get them licked.  
“Victor?”  
He didn’t stop completely, nudging her head lightly before continuing the licking. Anna swallowed. This was getting even weirder. How deep he was inside his animal side? And for how long? And could it stop this?  
His tongue dipped inside one of the claw wounds. She swallowed and tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, the soft warmth in her chest and lightness in her mind. Feeling teasing slipperiness between her legs.  
The warmth and closeness of naked Victor kept her under the calmness when she tried to break through it.  
But she couldn’t. Kinda didn’t want to.  
It was damn comfortable and good that she didn’t want it to end. Just like everything else with the feral predator. Too exciting, too much fun and too good to end. No secrecy nor wariness needed.  
It was so wrong.

* * *

The bleeding was stopping and the wounds started to be clean. But the female hadn’t still calmed. She had started to get anxious again and it irritated him. She didn’t need to worry of anything or anyone else than him and he was not gonna hurt her unless she required it.  
But she wasn’t just nervous, but also getting horny and sleepy.  
He chuckled, nudging again with his bearded face, scraping his teeth against her neck as he moved his lips across the skin. Feeling her shivering from the contact.  
Smirking he nipped her jawline.  
He could give her anything she needed and wanted. But for another time now, bambi.  
First sleeping and then mating. Wouldn’t do anything if you wouldn’t have the energy to move with me. Resting would be good also after that fit of yours.

* * *

Now being calm for some time Anna started to get her body back. She wasn’t so sure how to act now though. And it pissed her off! She should just push the bastard away and kick him, snap his head and rope him so she could-  
The feral man moved off from her.  
But before she could react through the tranquil state, the woman was pulled against the large, hair covered chest. Anna blinked in confusion as Victor settled with her in the bed on their sides. Her back against his front. Holding her with one arm against his naked body, feeling the manhood of his against her bare thighs.  
She was not sure what to think all about this, but she was not comfortable with this entirely. She should be angry and kick his ass out of the door or window or whatever he had used to get in. This was her goddamn bed!  
  
As Victor started pulling the blankets on Anna kicked them away from his grasp. That made him snarl and his claws lengthen against her chest. She ignored the sting and tried to pull herself out of his grip.  
“Let go. Now.” Anna tried to sound angry and demanding.  
Another snarl right behind her ear, feeling the hot breath and the claws marking her skin. She was getting just more angrier. She gripped onto his holding arm around her.  
“Fuck’s sake Victor let go!”

* * *

She was getting restless. Again.  
This time the feral male placed his teeth on the throat of the struggling female, letting his canine teeth press into the skin, almost breaking it. His right arm tightened around her hips, the left one wrapping between her breasts and his stretched claws pressed more.  
She stopped moving as he hold her like that, he rumbling again his warning.  
The scent of anger didn’t fade away. It just kept getting stronger. He put more pressure onto her throat but it just made her madder.  
He licked her between his teeth. Then felt her chest and heart falter against his palm. He did it again, lessening the pressure from his teeth and giving a longer lap. Same, stronger reaction. Her arouse was also stronger, folding with her anger.  
  
Smirking Sabretooth kept licking while holding the female’s throat between his teeth. Stopped pressing with his shortening claws.  
Kept her against him, cupping her one breast while sliding his other between the female’s legs. Feeling with two fingers the moisture through fabric as she pressed her thighs together.  
Purring happily Sabretooth rub his hips against the female.  
Feeling, tasting, smelling and hearing her getting excited of him.  
“No- Not fair puss.”  
He let go of her throat and nipped her ear. Another strong reaction from her. Guess first the fucking and then sleeping. He wouldn't complain.


	16. Moment of connection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Smut

Panting with reddened face Anna was between lust and reason.  
She should be angry, she should fight back. She really should scream and told the bastard off.  
If he just would stop touching her.  
  
Sabretooth was pleased how the female was responding to his touches. Kneading her breasts in rough manner he felt the nipples getting hard between his fingers, his claws lightly scratching the softness in the process. He could feel already small movement from her, moving slowly against him in wave like moves. She wanted him. He just needed to coach her a bit more to give in, show he wasn’t cunning against her. They wanted the same so why bother to struggle?  
Anna especially reacted strongly to the hand between her legs. Opening them so the rubbing fingers with their claws could press against her through thin fabric in so sweetly teasing way.  
The fingertips forced her folds open and spread the moisture and heat while the claws’ tips broke the fabric with every stroke.  
Eager to mate her the feral man did everything to get the woman more and more aroused.  
Letting her feel how much his body was hungry for her, covering her back and creating heated friction between them. Using his mouth to assault her neck, shoulder, throat and side of her face with rough bites but then immediately apologizing them with soft licks.  
Her panting and whimpers were what he wanted to hear more, but he wanted especially to hear that sound of hers.  
That one sound she had made in the forest.  
  
There was so many stimulations that Anna wasn’t used to. And all of them were demanding her attention at the same time making her respond as much she could while the male was behind her and holding her tightly.  
The claws were the worst. She had seen what damage they could do if he wanted. She had fought and dodged against them. And now they excited her once again by sliding across her naked light caramel skin. Leaving behind red marks that stung and electrified her to want more.  
The thought of them easily dipping into her insides, if he just wanted to, was disturbingly arousing.  
As the woman grasped onto his hands Victor growled, but then was pleasantly surprised when she just held them against her and her fingers settled between his. Then sight of more exposed neck with the already marked, his mark to be mindful, shoulder made him groan deeply.  
“More”, his mate demanded. And who was he to deny from her?  
Slipping his upper leg between hers Sabretooth took a hold of the female’s neck and with ease ripped the wet fabric out of the way.  
  
Coaxed by Victor Anna bend her upper leg, feeling the claws against its thigh as they hold it like that, and the hardness of him slipped between her legs. She let out that embarrassing sound of hers, stifling it halfway. The pressure he put onto her neck with those teeth made her hips buck backwards.  
It was absurd. Her animal side so anxious but not because of fear. Or maybe little bit but in good way at the same time, waiting for the predator to sink into her and show what he could do to her. Maybe a bit blood, more teeth and claws. Marking every inch of her, covering the old scars that previous preys had done to her.  
She was out of her mind. And it felt good as he cupped her pussy and spread her folds with his fingers. And with those claws, oddly gentle.  
  
It was mix of opposites. This time it wasn’t just rough but also slow. Gentleness and roughness one after another as the male mutant guided himself into the female. His hardness wrapped by softness, his low vibrating groan met with her high and clear screech. He pushed deep into her, pulling her against him and she thrust towards him with equal eagerness.  
Their hips rotated together in slow and deep rhythm, desperate to be connected in every way as they tried to emerge into one another.  
Now and then he needed to let go of Anna to take bigger gasps to breath, and every time he took a hold of her neck or shoulder at a new place.  
Spreading his teeth marks all over and swiping the blood as it dribbled out.  
Every bite hurt but with the thrusts it just felt excitingly good. Filling her mind with more want from Victor. More everything and anything. She moaned, moving her upper arm to claw his hip with force as she wanted to see his face. Growling a warn he grabbed her clawing hand and brought it to his mouth, licking the wounds that he had given her when smacking that gun away.  
The thought of her doing something that stupid caused something cold inside the feral and he moved his arms back to hug her against him.  
His. Only his.  
He needed to mate her long and thoroughly that she would understand that. That he would understand that.  
  
Rising to sit and pulling the woman onto his lap without breaking their connection he started to fuck her harder. Moving his hand all over her with his claws, tasting and marking her with his mouth. Dazed by the new position Anna traced his hands with hers before moving them behind to feel his body moving against hers. Turning head she nipped the side of his face, rubbing against his beard and seeing a glimpse of his eyes.  
And what she saw in them shook her to her very core.  
Swallowing she closed her eyes to avoid it, only wanting to concentrate to the fucking. As it was just that, sweet, sweet fucking.  
  
It went on for some time before they started to feel it rising in them. Coaxing them to increase the movements and the speed and to hold on harder. This time it didn’t come fast nor surprisingly. It came steadily and with long anticipation. Like day changes to night.  
The climax filling them completely and deeply, silencing them as they kept passively moving together until there was nothing else to feel.  
  
Letting out shaky breath Victor gave couple of more slow pushes before stopping, moving his hands from digging into the woman’s hips to her stomach and chest. Petting her as he lazily smiled while moving his mouth against her neck.  
Her shoulders and throat were completely covered by his marks, deep and shallow ones. Watching those in the darkness and smelling and feeling their climaxes inside her Sabretooth felt happiness that content him deeply.  
Entirely spent from every last energy Anna felt tired but satisfied. And odd happiness, while feeling the man behind her, holding and caressing her. Stroking absently his thighs and legs Anna felt small piece of concern.  
But as Victor moved out of her with carefulness, laying down with her on their sides and pulled blankets on them, she couldn’t take a hold of that feeling. Instead she turned around and kissing his throat and jaw she snuggled against him.  
Purring Victor hold the woman close and breathed in their mixed scents.  
And falling to sleep he pulled himself a bit out of the animal urges, that had lead him forward with his mate.


	17. Uneasy connection

The early morning, when the sun was still at the sky before going back down, the two ferals started waking up. Remembering the last night, all of it, and so they were abashed.

Victor sighed as he opened his eyes leisurely, feeling in every way comfortable and warm in the large bed under thick blankets. And a body, a living and warm one, against his side.  
Their legs were tangled, an arm was over his wide chest and forehead rested against his torso. His right arm was around the other person, holding them against him.  
The feral male lifted his head from pillows and saw Anna's blond head. The woman was cuddling against him and was breathing evenly.  
Memories from yesterday easily came back. Every little detail, every action, feeling and thought.  
Swallowing the baffled mutant lowered his head back and lifted free hand to his forehead. But then saw dried blood on his claws. Frowning Victor raise his head again and saw bite and claw marks across Anna's naked shoulder. There was probably more all over her.  
His marks.  
He had acted last night as if he thought she was his mate to be claimed and marked.

Something twisted in his guts.  
What a load of bullshit.  
He didn't do that crap. Maybe marking but just to piss people off or scare them. There was probably couple of living women he had bitten just to show that he had used them, ashamed and violated them. He did that, but not the mating thing. That was Jimmy's doings. The runt was the one who liked to act family man by chasing these frails to make him feel all normal and other disgustingly weak things.  
But not Victor, not him. He didn't take mates. And yet his instincts had done this lovely little thing.

…Victor didn't like this.  
He didn't do mates. He was Sabretooth and didn't need anyone dependent on him again until they were done and gone. Or when he did maybe one or couple of mistakes, when his lifestyle of always moving and enjoying of killing was too much to them. When he couldn't be always gentle or didn't hold down his temper. He wouldn't be some pussy father like Jimmy's, treating their kids with silk gloves as that wasn't the way he was raised.  
And so what if Anna was the mate for him? She still hated him. She was easily to be killed despite of her tenacity and skills. Her life was just a blink of an eye in his endless life. She was too stubborn, she would make him fucking snap her neck or slice her throat open at some point.

This wasn't what Victor had planned nor wanted when he had taken interest on the frail and started playing with her. Just because Jimmy has connection with her.  
This was complete shit. Unfair in every way.  
Fuck.

* * *

Anna yawned and moved closer to the source of warmth. A body, she identified, sensing it tensing up and hearing strong, a bit quick heartbeat.  
And remembering the yesterday made her tense up too.  
Opening eyes she first saw the hair covered torso of Victor's, and then clawed hand on it, resting near her own.  
She concentrated onto that hand, not wanting to face the other thing right now.

Victor's hand was large with long fingers. And each of those fingers had long, thick and sharp claw.  
She envied those.  
She would love to have those kind of natural weapons, easily intimidating people and cutting them or even getting creative if she wanted.  
The claws were a clear symbol of predatory. Especially these ones. Unlike fingernails these talons didn't grow out in a neat, shallow way but right out of the finger's tip. The skin at their roots was chap and a bit red on edges.  
Did that mean they hurt him? Shouldn't his healing factor keep the skin healthy around the claws?  
Hearing the tensed mutant male swallowing Anna kept observing them.  
They were a bit yellowish from bottom, but then turned into white towards tips. However, there was dried, into rust color turned blood on them. Her blood most likely.  
Probably from when he had clawed her skin, digging into her hips and other places, that started stinging and hurting as her body started to stir up with her mind.  
She was jealous of those claws. And curious too.  
She admired them for what they could do, easily dig inside of a human like hot knife into butter. And yet he hadn't hurt her that way yesterday. But maybe he wasn't that psycho to fuck a corpse?

Raising her resting hand on the chest she moved to touch one of the claws. Would the surface be smooth or rough? Had he always had them, from when he was born?  
"Don't."

* * *

Victor growled the command as he watched her reaching.  
The natural reaction would have been to rip the hand but he held himself, for this time. It didn't help that Anna's hand just stopped and rested inches away from his talons. He wasn't going to move his hand away though, as he wasn't afraid. Just uncomfortable. With everything.  
Maybe he should end this and kill her already. He had his fun.  
Jimmy would still come at spring, or even earlier if his frail's death reached him before the season.

It would be easy. He had his hand already on the woman, his fingers gently against her spine on the lower back. He just needed to lengthen his claws and sank them in. Damaging her spine would be painful and paralyzing.  
Give him time to memories her face, the surprised and desperate look in her eyes, open mouth of unvoiced scream. He could quickly snap her head, maybe leave a message to Jimmy, and leave without any problem.  
He moved his talons against her back.  
Feeling her shivering and tensing up more.  
Feeling the spine under the skin and muscles. And then his fingertips brushed against the small area of hair on the woman's lower back, where the scar was.

Curious to feel again the rough texture of the scar he touched it more.  
"Don't", she said back to him the same words, pushing her lower body away from his hand and against to his hip.  
And at the same time her fingertips moved to touch his claws. Sabretooth bared his teeth.

* * *

As he didn't move his fingers from her scar Anna saw it just as right that she could touch his damn talons.  
Sliding lightly fingertips against the claws she watched as they lengthened.  
"What happened?" she asked while touching, being extra careful when feeling the painful looking skin around them.  
After a moment the claws pulled back and there was silence. She still didn't look at him or didn't say anything as his fingers kept touching the scar on her lower back. The talons there added pressure to the scarred skin area and she took a sharp breath.  
"The same", Victor growled.

Remembering what things were relieved at their drinking game, and connecting that to his words and acting, it was easy to figure out the rest. And furthermore, he could regrow his claws.  
Anna's fingers retreated from Victor's. And his claws stopped pressing her.  
There was no pity in neither feral towards other.  
They both had gone through same kind of suffering and survived it, the events making them who they were. They didn't want no-one feeling sorry for them, to be seen weak and defenseless. To diminish their survival. They both carried their scars, physical and mental, healed and scarred, with pride and own struggle.  
Own, no-one's else.  
But they still felt strange kind of pain towards one another's own past suffering that still haunted despite of years passing. Feeling ridiculous want to do things that were too late to be done anymore.  
That strong connection with that need scared Anna. It intimidated Victor.  
There was this thing between them, that had evolved without noticing and with absurdness and strong speed.

Anna rose, not looking Victor at all as she moved away from the bed and went into the bathroom.

* * *

Victor barely glanced at the woman, also avoiding the eye contact. Seeing those… Mate marks from corner of his eyes made him sick.  
This hadn't been what he had wanted nor meant. He didn't do mates. He was happy with living by himself without any affiliation. Spending his days by killing, traveling, doing jobs for his taste, trying to fix things between him and the runt even though it was impossible if Jimmy wouldn't remember.  
And even if Jimmy would remember things, what would he remember?  
That Victor had taken care of him when they had been just cubs? Or that Victor had killed his suppose mate? That what kind of animal Victor was and that had been the reason why Jimmy had left in the first place?  
With that kind of tangle of problems, where did Victor had any damn time for some easy to kill mate who would leave him too in the end? In one way or another this kind of thing would only end into one resolution.  
And it didn't please the feral male one bit.

Hearing the shower going on Victor looked at his claws. Covered from Anna's blood.  
Despite everything she was so easy to kill. Just one snap or swipe. Just like with every other frail that Jimmy had.  
And thought about Anna dying one way or another, by his or someone else's hands, by time or wound… It ached his heart so much is scared him. He felt actually scared, like an animal near fire. And just like an animal near fire he also vanished from the apartment, before Anna finally dared to come out from the bathroom.

Victor had played enough with the frail, spent enough time here. He had other things to take care of. No time or reason to stay cooked up in this nameless shitty village in middle of nowhere.  
His instincts were all against that though. He felt actual physical and mental pain as he dressed and then climbed out of the window, leaving it open behind. Every step he took in intention to get away from the frail made him bite his teeth, clench his hands so that claws dig into his palms.  
Thoughts of Anna, his mate, were getting annoying, the headache making him angrier and angrier.

He didn't do mates. He was not going to go through that shit. The final.  
He just, he just needed to get his mind filled with something else. He was an animal, he just needed something else to focus on. This would pass. If just thinking about her in mate way was making him feel like this, then what about actually being with her?  
...No, Sabretooth was not going to. He just needed to get away. This would pass, when the frail would die either by someone else or by time.  
That would be the resolution in either way.  
So why bother?


	18. Spilling the milk

"Ummm, Anna?"  
She glanced with dark scowl at the bar keeper's son. He flinches.  
"You.. Okay?" Gary asked uncertainly. The human didn't know what, but something surely was bothering his adoptive sister. Had for couple of days, at least.  
She has acted short tempered, snarky and quiet. It didn't help that Sarah was on a business trip, so Gary didn't have anyone else who to worry with about Anna.  
"Super", the tall blond answered shortly, gaze somewhat softening when seeing the man's discomfort.  
Then the outdoor opened and she immediately looked, raised brows lowering when the person was just another villager.  
The ginger bearded man smiled.  
"Sarah should come back today, is that why you are so edgy?"  
Silent nod.  
Gary chuckled.  
You wouldn't believe that the those two's first encounter hadn't been the best. The three of them had been in their early teens back then, Sarah just moved in and trying to make friends. Then Anna had pushed Sarah into the ocean at the docks.  
But nowadays Anna was like a puppy towards the shorter woman. Or maybe more like a watchdog?  
Gary decided to let his sister be, and walked to meet some friends at the tables.

Anna had lost her patience.  
It was a week and a half and there still was no sign of the puss.  
It had been irritating that Victor had left without any saying, or maybe it was just good, but it still bothered how he had disappeared suddenly.  
After that, the first couple of days, Anna hadn't paid attention to his absence. Not much.  
But when almost a week had passed she had, not worried but more like wondered where the cat man was. He didn't come to the bar. He wasn't stalking around her home. He wasn't at the forest when she jogged there. There wasn't any strange happenings. Villagers didn't gossip about him anymore.  
He defiantly wasn't dead nor injured, not with that healing ability, so there was no reason to suspect such.  
The marks of his on Anna's body were healing well with ointment and being not disturbed.  
Everyday through mirror Anna saw those marks. Mix of anger, embarrassment, strange shudder and heat always went through her when she looked at them. Tracing them with her fingertips as she fell into thoughts.  
Then snapping out of it and pulling a thick shirt on to cover them.  
Where the hell was Victor?  
He couldn't have given up, he wouldn't just runaway with tail between his legs. He maybe was full of himself but he hadn't seemed like a coward. He had been saying he was going to enjoy of her before killing.  
Anna didn't have nothing, any explanation for Victor's sudden disappearing and it pissed her off.  
A lot.

He was suppose to be her prey. She was suppose to kill him. He was suppose to stay and trifle with her until Logan would come. He was suppose to stay near to drive her crazy with his cockiness and that smirk. Keep her on her toes with his stalking skills. Search for her weaknesses and make her try harder. Make her guess what was he planning next. Try to beat him in anything he throws at her.  
And he just disappears. Gets off like nothing.  
The first prey who had disappeared from her.  
It was helluva annoying.  
And it was getting boring here when he wasn't around or a new prey didn't show up. That was one of the bad points living in this kind of isolated small village. And that she was thinking of him like this, a lot, was weirding herself out.

The sound of screeching car tires called every attention to the front of the building.  
Anna glanced half-interested while Gary dashed out with couple of others to see what had happened outside, as the driver stepped out of his vehicle in panic.  
Anna frowned. An accident? That would be something new.  
Then Gary's voice screamed a name.  
Only one name, that would sent everything from there into chaos for Anna.  
"SARAH!"

The human woman was laying on snowy and icy ground on her side. Blood pooling under her head. People were gathering around, just staring and talking.  
"Move!" Anna snarled and pushed people away, falling next to the brunette's body.  
The feral female felt nausea, hands shaking and eyes watering as she stopped for a moment. Should she touch her? What if she was seriously wounded, you shouldn't move them then right?  
"Sarah?" Anna called, not hearing Gary who was ordering people to call somewhere and asking who was the driver. It didn't matter, Anna would later get the information and kill the bastard, but now, Sarah needed her.  
She was just a human. Small. Just like mother. She was- Anna was suppose to protect her.  
"Sarah, hey", Anna called, gently placing her hands on the unmoving body's shoulder. "Come on, wake up, you're home. Sarah? I'm here, wake up."  
When somebody was going to come closer, Anna pulled a knife from her pocket, unsheathed the blade and pointed it with furious look on her face.  
"STAY AWAY!"  
Everyone took a step back.  
Gary was the only one who was brave enough to come closer. Though he was just as cautious as everyone else, lifting his hands in calming gesture. Like soothing an animal. "Anna, put the knife away."  
"No."  
"Come on, S- Sarah wouldn't like you to threat people like this. Put that away. Please. Anna."

Anna staid next to Sarah until a helicopter came with paramedics and a cop. But it was too late. The death had been an instant.  
Anna didn't want to let anyone take Sarah's body away but Gary talked her to let people take care of Sarah.  
The mutant knew she was acting childish, that Gary was talking to her like to a child. But she just couldn't snap out of it like with her prey side.  
She was at middle of breaking and staying together.  
She tried to find something that would help her to ignore the alien, almost incontinent hurt inside her.  
She shouldn't be so crushed about Sarah, she was just a human.  
She was just a human. Just someone. Entertainment. Filling Anna's curiosity.  
...A friend. Someone close to a mother and sister figure. Someone, who had taught and helped Anna to act more human like. Took care of her even if it was unnecessary. She was Anna's friend. Part of Anna's herd.  
Anna was suppose to take care of Sarah, help her and Gary get married, look after their happiness and their cubs.  
Was this what having someone close and then losing them felt like? This crushing weight, that you couldn't fight with anything as it didn't have physical form?  
Anna hadn't felt like this when she had killed her father. But maybe because she had lost him at different time already before that.  
  
When Gary finally left and Anna was alone in her apartment, the female mutant started to break down.  
It didn't happen in an instant, as she kept fighting back. But slowly and inevitably the pieces started to crumble down.  
Rubbing her face, breathing fast and shallowly, moving around, kicking things Anna tried to grasp on her scattering thoughts and feelings. Logic and belief inside her wrestling, emotions topping over each other.  
It was like falling without an end into bottomless pit and not knowing which way was up or down.  
Trying to keep control, trying to get over the lost. But it came in waves, always bigger than the previous one.  
She didn't want to feel like this. This made her sick. She wanted this to go away, please. Someone.  
Image of mother came. Her at the basement, demented and broken, screaming things when Anna saw her mother for the first and only time as a kid, her wandering into the basement.  
Mother had asked did Anna know who she was. Anna had shook her head, because she didn't identify her own mother. She hadn't know she had a mother. And then father had come down and taken Anna away. The next day Anna slipped again into the basement but the shackles were open and mother was nowhere.

It was stupid but Anna wished she had done something back then. Saved mother.  
And now she had also let down Sarah. She wasn't a weak cub anymore and yet, she still had lost another one!  
Finally collapsing Anna screamed, letting out all of it. Screaming, kicking and holding herself as she cried. The raw emotions washing over her like waves, drowning her under.  
She needed to do something. She needed something to keep afloat.  
Just something. Or someone. She needed this pain go away, it was killing her. Like poison.

* * *

Victor was already on the edge.  
  
It hadn't helped to leave. The thing had just got stronger and more annoying after he had left.  
Like having a rusty bullet deep inside body, pulling it out ever so slowly but not getting it anywhere. Just extending the feeling without an end.  
Sabretooth had always been impulsive, he didn't deny that, it was part of him. But after almost a week he had started to gather more attention than he really should.  
Just one wrong word or look made him lengthen his claws and let the bodies hit the floor. It had been bad when he had wiped out the people in that cafeteria.  
It was even worse that he didn't get any enjoyment of killing or fucking anymore. Just a small portion of hollow satisfaction before it was almost instantly gone.  
The woman was being a problem to him. A real thick thorn on his side.  
Filling his head, making him even more suffering of this whole thing that was happening to him. Thoughts returning back to her going on in circles.  
Was she hunting someone else now? Was she successful or was she getting bested at? What if someone else started playing with her? What if Jimmy came there early and hearing of Victor's visit the runt would take Anna away? Cover Victor's marks with his?

After a week Victor's patience ran dry and he started heading back and fast. He needed to see the bambi again.  
Make her damn sorry for everything. Make her say she needed him. End her. Make her bleed and beg for him. Make her stop this fucking mind thing that had happened to him. Fuck her senseless.  
It didn't seem important what Victor would do to her as long as this thing would just stop!  
The bambi is better be waiting for him...  
This whole mate thing was stupid and not for Victor who just suffered from it like it was a damn cancer. Making him all messed up.

So the feral male already was on foul mood when he arrived to the village by car, parking it before entering the place. He had a funny feeling, the smell at air was familiarly electrical... Like when he lurked at crime scene that he had made.  
Some people were silently moving among buildings with flashlights and guns. Seeing that the feral man continued by roofs. Staying at shadows and listening while making his way to Anna's apartment.  
He sped up as he heard someone asking, that had anyone yet informed about _her_.  
...Just what had the bambi done? Two weeks and she couldn't stay away from trouble.

The smell of blood reeking through the window made Sabretooth swung through the closed window, cut down someone who was standing there with a gun. After that the feral man looked over the room.  
Stuff was scattered and there was blood here and there on the floor. There was smell of fired gun but Victor didn't see a weapon. Then there was the bar owner's body, laying on the floor with a pool of blood. Seemed like he had died from heart attack rather than by the knife wound at his throat.  
The cut would have been the next to kill him if not the heart failure.  
But some of this blood was Anna's, Victor easily smelling and recognizing the scent.  
The feral man's hands closed and opened as he was trying to piece together the things.  
Just what the hell had the bambi done?  
Someone tried to sneak to the apartment's door and surprise the mutant. Grabbing on the shotgun's pipe as it came to his view the beast man pulled the gun away from the human's grasp.  
The mutant was really not having any of this and maybe didn't have the time. He took a hold of the panicking man's throat.  
Victor needed answers.

Getting the man inside the apartment, kicking the door close and slamming the human against a wall Sabretooth hold him there.  
Pressing his claws that, just a bit more pressure, and the human's throat would have bleeding holes.  
Focusing on getting information Victor growled: "What happened here?"  
When the man didn't answer right away but just panicked, Sabretooth banged the man's head against the wall, making the human to halt. Fear smelling like water leaking from container's hinges.  
"Now... I won't kill you **if** you tell me what happened here."  
"O- Okay. You- Pro- Promise?"  
Holding back a smile Victor nodded.  
"Just start talking, before I change my mind."


	19. The great chase

Dropping the shaking, bleeding body Victor wiped his bloody claws clean on his jacket. Unsatisfied growl rumbled through his lips.  
Then he kicked the body and tore a piece of furniture to floor with rage.  
That goddamn stupid frail woman! Just couple of weeks without him and she gets herself into deep shit!  
The bambi really had gotten into fucking trouble by having the whole damn town after her!  
Sabretooth swore, when he would find that bambi he would punish her that-  
Huffing, clenching and opening his hands the roaming feral male thought what to do next. He needed to find Anna before the villagers, that's for sure. And then he had to get her out of here. God damn it Anna!

Hearing more humans getting up at the stairs the mutant turned and jumped out through the broken window.  
Landing onto the alley between the buildings he started running towards the forest. He didn't have any clue was she there but he had a hunch. The wilderness was the place for their kind and this was the woman's territory after all. She would definitely retreat to there, where she was most confidence of herself. Just like during their first fight.  
Approaching the tree line Victor spotted couple of villagers standing there also with guns and flashlights.  
  
Dropping on all fours the beast man rushed, dodging a bullet and then finishing them quickly before continuing straight into the forest.  
At the frozen lake he halted and smelled the air, watched the marks on snow.  
He could smell the humans. Their anger and nervousness. Saw the ground stumped here and there as they had separated into groups and gone into different directions.  
Anna's tracks would be impossible to find from these.  
But her smell was still there.  
Walking slowly, inhaling the air and trying to see any clues of what direction the bambi had run into Sabretooth searched.  
The smell of her blood was all he needed to know.

* * *

Leaning against a tree Anna panted, sweat dripping from her face and injured leg hurting like hell and beyond.  
Things had gotten out of hand. Really, really badly.

She had waited for couple of days before making her move.  
So she wouldn't be immediately suspected of the man's death, that bastard who had hit Sarah with his car.  
Sure Anna would have been suspected despite of that, but she was not expert at murdering people whose missing would be quickly noticed and especially in her territory.  
It didn't help that the man has two kids.  
But the feral female had believed to have enough of good plan to get rid off of the body and evidence. And... It wasn't like she had anything to really pretend for anymore. Without Sarah what else Anna had here?  
Adoptive brother and father, which the other one she didn't saw as a sibling and the other one just used her as his own tool against mutants to protect the village. Given her a territory that she hadn't originally wanted.  
As a kid Anna had just wanted to be left alone, live inside her room and stay away from everyone. Just wanted to feel safe and warm like once when father had still been her father, a protector.  
But instead of helping her Joseph had just given her weapons and means to fight. Gave rules of what to do and what not to.  
And now, when only for one time Anna had wanted to kill one lousy human, who deserved it, the old man had drawn a line there.  
Like a damn telepath he had known which night the woman was going to strike and so he had come to her.  
Told her that if she was going to do this, he was forced to carry out his side of the deal. That if Anna killed a human, he had to put her down.  
That's when things had heated up in the woman's apartment.  
It was only mutants, never humans.  
As long as she killed only mutants Joseph didn't even blink an eye!  
If he wasn't a dying old man and wouldn't get caught of killing people, he would probably had killed Anna long ago and continued to kill the passing mutants.  
It wasn't like Anna and Joseph ever had any kind of father-daughter-relationship. Not really. There had been respect, but love?  
...Hard to say.  
Joseph had always treated her as an adult, never as a child.

The two had started fighting, first verbally and then physically.  
Spitting out true feelings and motivations towards one another. And when the words hurt deep enough to provoke into action, Anna had quickly overpowered the geezer. But then he had pulled out the gun and tried to shoot her.  
Joseph had succeed to fire the woman at her right leg before Anna managed to slice him with her knife.  
And that's when things really spread to all directions, after the gunshot and when Joseph was fighting for breath on the floor.  
In panic, neighbors pounding at the door, leg bleeding and hurting Anna had to act fast to get out.  
As people were reacting to the scene at her apartment, Anna had tried her best to patch herself up for escaping.  
She had managed to take Joseph's handgun, her knife, small backpack filled with things for silent murder which included a towel, a bottle of strong cleaning liquid, rope and a flashlight. Not much for patching yourself up though.  
But as Anna soon needed to keep moving, as they would search for her, she had to do something quick.  
Wrapping the towel around injured right thigh and using her belt to make direct pressure she had tried to think where to go.  
The forest hadn't been the best choice in the end.  
Anna couldn't run. Moving her injured leg was agony and it slowed her down. It was frustrating as hell.  
And the villagers had a dog with them, she could hear it barking in the distance. They had snowmobiles and they could use both of their legs.

Glancing to her wrapped thigh Anna cursed when seeing the towel mostly soaked in blood. It was only adrenaline and pure will why she could still keep moving.  
Grabbing and pulling her hair she tried to breath calmly. But inside her head she was screaming all the swear words she knew, cursing this whole place, Joseph, herself, the whole world, father and so on to the lowest and hottest place there could be.  
She should just stop. She was not going to get away. And if she did, how would she take care of her leg? What if she got permanent damage? Running was the only thing that she could truly protect herself with. And where the hell would she go even?  
...Pushing herself up the female feral continued moving deeper into the forest. There was one place. But she wasn't sure would she make it.

* * *

"Who- Fuck!"  
Victor jumped on the hunter, digging claws to the throat and crushing the windpipe before continuing to the next one. Group of four people. Two succeed to shoot him with their rifles. Hurt like hell but it wasn't a new thing. He had been shot, stabbed, injected, crushed, sliced, drowned, kicked- Yeah, he had gone through all of it already and many times.  
As long as he just wasn't shot to his head or suffered large damage he was not going to slow down.  
After getting rid of this little pack he looked around again.  
They were following her tracks. Couple drops of blood and her clumsy tracks were showing on the snow. She had obviously injured her other leg, fucking fantastic.  
And Sabretooth had seen tracks of snowmobiles a bit behind.  
Now he could heard faintly the engines and dog's barking at the direction where Anna had gone to.  
Taking a deep breath, almost clawing the space between his eyes in frustration as the situation was getting shittier by every moment. The woman was really being a pain in his ass.  
Was this a punishment for leaving? He was gone just for two weeks for god's sake!

But she was his. And so, if anyone else had touched her when he would get to her, Sabretooth was gonna loose it. He would burn this whole fucking forest down with the village and everyone else in there. Fuck it if SHIELD or the X-men or anyone else would figure out it had been him.

* * *

Leaning against another tree Anna stopped for a moment.  
The snow was thick, she couldn't run, she was getting into worse condition with every struggle and their snowmobiles were getting closer. Just like in a hunt they would let the dog come after her, halt her and keep her in one place until they would arrive. She could shoot them though.  
Joseph's gun had a full ammunition magazine except for one bullet, which was inside her leg.  
It could work.  
She could let them come, shoot them and then take one of the vehicles. Yeah, that would work.

Waiting behind the tree she listened for them getting closer. Her ears twitched nervously, her hands sweating and slightly shaking as she took a better hold of the gun.  
When the engine started to slow down, Anna leaned away from the tree and aimed.  
There was three of them and a dog on two snowmobiles. Gary was one of the drivers.  
The feral woman's pressing finger at the trigger halted.

* * *

Sabretooth was already on all fours, running in full speed when he heard the gunshots. First two, from different guns, then two quick ones from one. And then a fourth shot.  
Soon an injured and whimpering dog dashed past him away from the shooting.  
Heart hammering like a train against rib cage and suspenseful numb and cold feeling sliding through him Victor felt like he was not moving fast enough.  
He remembered the many times with Jimmy when they still had been young and still inexperienced. When ever the runt was being shot or something worse. But unlike Jimmy Anna didn't have a healing factor. She wouldn't survive just with a scare.

The thought made his chest clench almost painfully and his mind numbed. He fought against it by finding the far more familiar and safer emotions. Anger was one of them.  
Seeing finally people and two snowmobiles at the distance Sabretooth easily directed his rage to them.

* * *

She had pulled the trigger, instinct of surviving and fighting back winning over faint affection. But she hadn't pointed at Gary.  
She had killed the other driver. The passenger with Gary had aimed at her and also shot. She had dodged it narrowly, feeling and hearing the bullet next to her head.  
It was the sounds of the fired guns that gave her a problem though.  
Her head hurt. Like long needles thrust through her ears into brains.  
It was painful. She wanted to cover her ears and stay put until it would go away.  
But she couldn't. She wouldn't.

Even if she was in lot of pain, tired, unfed and all that shit, father had kept coming. Verbally and physically, showing that there was always a greater pain over the pain that you were feeling at the moment. There was never a limit, with right hands the pain could take any new form and measure. And it was all up to you to make it stop or at least try not to get over the limit of the current one.

The dog was running towards her with teeth bared and vicious look at its face. She shot twice towards the animal as best as she could and then stumbled back behind the tree as they again shot towards her. Hot and sharp pain from her leg angrily reminded of its existence and she fought back a howl of pain.  
Why does it have to be Gary?  
"Anna", she heard him faintly through the ringing in her ears. She couldn't hear others or even much. She couldn't know where they were, approaching her most likely. She felt like a prey surrounded by wolves.  
It angered her. Rouse the familiar feeling of fire inside her. Burned down the feelings of her scared animal side.  
She didn't see them yet as she leaned against the wide tree. Taking off her backpack, biting teeth through pain she checked that she still had her knife sheathed at her waist and the gun at her other hand. She had... Maybe eleven or thirteen bullets yet to be fired.  
Wouldn't mean a shit if she couldn't make even five of them count.  
Tinnitus was still there but it wasn't as loud anymore as before.

She almost jumped, when someone lunged from behind the tree. She didn't have time to fire before they were too close and already grabbing her arms.


	20. In the middle of chaos

Anna had hated Gary when they were kids.  
A small weak crybaby, who didn't know the crap of real pain and fear. If he got pushed to the ground, was slapped, got yelled at or heck, if he dropped his damn ice cream the runt would holler and cry like a stabbed animal!  
Anna had despised the boy. She was jealous of him.

Gary could cry and laugh and smile and do all the variations of different emotions with ease. He was normal, he was happy. He had alive father who didn't hurt him. He had friends, a safe home and he was _normal_.  
He was normal human who had secured life in home with care and love.  
He didn't struggle with traumas. He didn't wake up in full panic and harming himself to feel some kind of control over his mind and body.  
He didn't know the taste of human meat, the feeling of being kicked that bones cracked, being abused verbally and physically until you learned to take it without tears or sounds. Being forced to hide deep itself to ignore things. See things that haunted you and filled you with anger and fear that you couldn't breath.  
Being stared by everyone like you were a broken thing to be wondered but not to be approached.

And he had the guts to cry when he didn't get some stupid toy.  
Anna hated him for that.  
But... That feeling diluted with time, and in the end there was just faint jealousy.  
With time Anna understood, that she shouldn't hate Gary for what he was: a normal person. He was just a cub who didn't know of things, was inexperienced and innocent.  
It wasn't his fault what had happened to Anna. She shouldn't get angry to him and try to punish him for things that he wasn't responsible of.  
But she still was jealous. She wanted the same that he had.  
She wanted to be able to forget her problems and enjoy of things. Smile without struggle or shadow of her problems. Have the same gratuitous affection.  
And because Gary was normal and a good person in heart, Anna had wanted him to court Sarah and marry her.  
He could have made her happy, give her normal family and life with happiness.  
And Anna could have lied to herself that she had done that, given Sarah the happiness. Be proud of herself for doing something good and pure for once.

And now that crybaby boy, all grown and man up, was over Anna, fury and hurt on his face as he tried to hold her arms so she couldn't shoot him.  
Dropping backpack from her other grasp she pushed back. She was wounded, sitting and held from her wrists. He was standing, unharmed and had a good grip.  
The hate and pain inside Gary's eyes burned into Anna.  
In twisted way she felt pleased. Finally able to make him feel a portion of what she had lived through.  
And yet, he had grown with her.  
So in a small way, he was _her_  little crybaby brother. A cub she had seen grown. Who made dumb jokes and was oblivious to things around him. Good, normal person in his heart.  
...But saying she was sorry now for everything wouldn't fix anything. Explaining things wouldn't give anything to him nor her.  
Things were shit from the start, she was shit, and she had ruined everything from Sarah, Joseph and Gary long time ago. It felt like that at least.  
She was a sad monster who wore human skin.  
And she still couldn't just give up and be killed. Not without a fight. She wasn't raised to give up.

Pulling her arms back she let him lower down. And then with sharp move hit her forehead against Gary's face, kicking his knee with her unharmed leg. Then rolling them to side and down into the snow.  
The two started wrestling for the handgun.  
There was now also fear in Gary's eyes.  
And Anna felt pity and excitement. Regret. But also comfort, as it would end now in either way.

* * *

When Sabretooth finally reached them, two humans back towards him as they advanced towards the wrestling duo, he lunged over one of them. With that he also fixed the other's attention away from Anna.  
The feral male didn't have time to finish the one he had jumped on. The other was already aiming.  
With bestial roar he jumped and smacked the firing gun's pipe to other way.  
The look of pure terror, knowing the inevitable death, and the smell of it, pleased the feral greatly as he did what he was best at.  
After that he returned back to the first one and took a shot to stomach, that staggered him for a moment, before again with a roar and uplifted corners he attacked. Ripping and thrusting his claws as deep as they would go.  
Enjoying of the screams. The smell and feeling of blood.  
Or did until he heard a gunshot. And remembered Anna and the guy over her.

Getting up he rushed around the tree and then halted.  
Seeing Anna pushing the bar owner's son off of her and then twisting over the man.  
With interest the feral male observed as the feral female placed the gun's pipe against the suffering man's head.  
And pulled the trigger more times than was needed.  
Blood and pieces of the man splattered across the white ground more and more with every shot.  
After four times she finally dropped the gun and curled over the dead, holding her head.

Victor didn't hear sobbing nor didn't smell tears. But the female was obviously deeply upset.  
Looking at the woman he got a moment to rest after rushing her, killing all the people after her.  
However, he was now hesitate to approach her.  
Sensing the other mutant's deep distress and her being unmoving and silent was unnerving. Not in a way that Victor was stupidly scared for his safety, that was just ridiculous, but in a way what would she do to _herself_ if he tried to approach.  
He had already once seen her like this, completely unreadable and still and it had gone quickly wrong in many ways.  
But just staying still and on his toes rubbed Sabretooth in the wrong way. He felt the need to make the woman snap out of that state.  
He still didn't know what to do and all he could come up with, that wouldn't make the bambi freak out, was to stay in the distance.  
It didn't feel right either though. Wasn't his nature.  
Especially when they didn't have time for this.  
The villagers were still looking for her, the gunshots surely had been heard and Anna was wounded.

With deep growl his patience stopped swiftly.  
And deciding he was not going to wait any longer he started approaching.

* * *

She didn't cry, couldn't. Everything she had she had poured before over Sarah's death: until there was no more tears to be spilled and her eyes were hurting and puffy.  
She had done the best she could this time. She had made sure Gary hadn't suffered in the end.  
It still didn't mean she didn't feel bad about all of this. She felt really bad. She felt like shit. Didn't know what to do now. There was no Gary, Joseph or Sarah anymore. She couldn't return to the village anymore. What would she do now? She was lost. Confused.  
Grasping onto the shards and not knowing how to repair the mirror back to itself. It had been cracked and dented but now there was nothing that would give her a hint of what next.  
...Had father ever felt like this? Had he ever stopped and thought what the hell he was doing to his cub? That where did he go wrong? Had he ever regretted, but then saw he couldn't go back to how things were, and so just continued? Had he understood Anna's acting when she rammed that knife into his neck?  
Weird thoughts. Wondering those things wouldn't help her at all now.  
Some instincts inside her told her to get up and move on. Get to the cottage, patch up, eat, sleep, heal, stay alive. Survive.  
But the rest of her was one big question: what then?

* * *

She didn't react to him even when he stopped right next to her and the corpse.  
With deep scowl Victor lifted his right foot and nudged Anna's shoulder. At least she turned her face from her hands to look at him. At first just staring but then frowned at him.  
Feral man was surprised of the tone she used next. He had waited something hostile or suspicious at least. Or broken like, that would sent his alarms off.  
"What... What do you do here... Puss?"  
Well defiantly not playing a hero and rescuing a damsel in distress here. That was Jimmy. Victor was the bad guy who held the girl as hostage.  
Tugging chin down he tried to held back a smile. And ignore the feeling that bloomed in his chest and melt all the prickly feelings towards the woman. She was going to suffer, she was not off the hook. But now was not time to punish her. They still needed to getaway.  
...Of all the world's frails Jimmy had to connect with this one. She was trouble. Not the worth of trouble to make Jimmy remember that Sabretooth exists.  
But this one was Victor's prey. Only his. His to hunt. His to kill.  
Anyone else tried that, he would show whose mate the bambi was.  
The word brought Victor back to reality, his dark brown eyes looking at the lighter ones. Seconds had turned into minutes and she was still staring him, waiting for the answer.

"Just guarding my prey", he finally growled, other lip corner pulling his mouth into half-smirk. Crouching he looked at the feral's face. She was tired and dirty.  
Needed to get her out of here and now.

Safe, dry and warm. Patch her up and feed her. Make her rest. He had to keep his prey in good health. That's how he felt.

* * *

Anna was more than surprised of seeing Victor.  
Really. She had thought he was gone for good.  
She was not sure how to react to his sudden appearance. Especially when he had helped her.  
That smirk though... And then what he said next.

" _Your prey_?" Anna said with narrowed eyes, easily her mind slipping into fighting as she looked the grinning puss. "Look whose talking. You're the one who's runaway. Scaredy-cat."  
She was pleased to see that stupid smile drop a notch or two.  
But, she was glad. For... Him, to be here. It was stupid, he was a predator, but she was glad. And at the moment she happily grasped on this rope, even if it was worn and would probably break. Her instincts told her to do that. The unnerving and alien feeling inside her just suddenly appearing and calming her more than maybe it should.  
She fought back from smiling, looking away from the scowling bearded face. But then saw Gary under her and the whole situation started to sink back in.  
How messed up everything was. That she was alone. Injured. Had the village after her and now the puss was here too and-  
In a blink of an eye she was up and over the feral male's shoulder. The angle of his upper body digging into her stomach with every step.  
Anna was quiet from being dumbfounded.

* * *

"Didn't run away", Victor half-growled and half-muttered.  
Just add that ridiculous accusation to the list of things that the bambi was going to pay for.  
At least the spike of melancholia had vanished from her.  
It wouldn't be for long though, he was distracting Anna from the current situation but for now, that was good.  
"...What are you doing?"  
Seemed like she had become a bit dumb in the midst of her breakdown.  
"Taking you to somewhere where to patch you up."  
Her injured leg didn't look good at all. Shit, the wound was bleeding blood through the self-made bandage of hers and onto the front of his jacket. And quickly feeling it was swollen too. The running and ramping had made it just worse.  
"Weirdo", she mumbled.  
Victor slapped the bambi's ass, making her do that sweet, strange noise of hers in surprise. Then she slapped his bottom in response.  
It humored and annoyed him at the same time. More of the former.  
"Now shut up or I drop you."  
"Please do that. I'm getting sick like this."

* * *

And her leg's pain started to get bad again as the adrenaline wore off and her mind wasn't so overloaded with everything.  
It was like hot water had pumped into her thigh's muscles. Not to mention she was starting to get cold even if she had winter clothes on. Loosing too much blood apparently. And now she was at the hands of a feral predator.  
...Guess it could be worse.  
Biting down and keeping any sounds inside and face from showing she tried to hide the pain as the male roughly placed her onto one of the snowmobiles' backseat. Grabbing on the back of his she looked over as he started the engine.  
"...You know how to drive this?" she asked.  
"Nope."  
"What?"  
He was just playing, right?  
"I just saved you, so drop the sass or I'll haul your ass back to village and leave you there."  
He wouldn't do that. After all, he had come back to keep her from killed by anyone else. But Anna quietened nonetheless. And changed her hands position so that she hugged Victor. Him being so wide that, she was more hugging his sides than around him.  
It felt good, the body of his. He was so warm and solid. Just like back at that night when he had slept in her bed.  
The vehicle jerked into motion and loud rumbling, making Anna raise her shoulders to block some of the sounds. Despite that she was getting oddly and heavily tired. She tried to focus onto Victor.  
Or tried to, feeling foggy mind of hers getting sleepy. Tightening her hold Anna tried to stay awake and find something to think about.  
Only thing that seemed to do the trick was about thinking what would she do now, as she couldn't return back to her old life in the village. And all the people who were significant to her in there were dead.  
It was worrying and distracting subject. But kept her focused.


	21. Being difficult

They couldn't return to the village. Not with Anna's untreated leg and she unable to even stay fully awake.  
Feeling the woman behind him getting too relaxed and hands starting to slide down his sides Victor stopped the snowmobile.  
"Hey", the feral man barked and looked over his shoulder. Anna was fully leaning against him, her chin downwards. "Don't fell asleep."  
"No", came the answer without much strength and after that she started slipping again.  
Growling Victor turned sideways on the seat and grabbed the mutant female by her shoulders. Squeezing enough that the pain shook up the sleepy head of hers. Discomfort showing from her lips the woman glared. Sabretooth bared his teeth in response.  
If by pissing her off or making her feel threatened would keep her awake, then he would be the reason.  
It would annoy him greatly if she would die just when he had gotten back to her.  
  
Shouldn't have left in the first place.  
Should have just listened the instincts about staying. Just accept this whole thing like he had already planned to. But... Fuck! It had been too much with all that sentimental bullshit, that Sabretooth had felt way too uncomfortable to stay. He panicked.  
But he wouldn't admit that to no soul.

"Let go", she still had guts to snarl even in that condition.  
Victor pulled a wide smile to his face, pushing away the feeling of worry.  
Leaning closer, adding more pressure and smelling her starting anger Sabretooth leered.  
"Guess I just kill you and be done now, if you're not gonna survive from one bullet. Where's the fire of yours...  _Prey_?"

* * *

That word. That fucking dirty  _filthy_  word!  
Despite of everything Anna grabbed the front of the beast man's throat, digging her fingers so that she felt the windpipe. Her other hand rose to the knife at her belt.  
It was her only weapon now.  
Bastard's hands kept gripping her shoulder bones painfully and his lips around the sharp teeth twisted more upwards. Tips of his claws pressed through fabric and into her skin.  
Surge of anger pulled Anna back from the drowsiness that had so heavily hovered over her.  
"Say that word again", she spitted through clenched teeth. "And I'll skin you alive."  
She was too weak in the end though.  
  
Anna couldn't even react fast enough when the bastard took her hand from his throat and twisted the wrist.  
Gasp slipping she glared back to the warning stare.  
Part of her wanted to try to hit with the knife or collide head against the predator's. Fight back, that was the main reaction and instinct she had. But the smarter side of her told to submit for now.  
Sometimes a predator has to lay still and pretend wounded to get the prey closer.  
It didn't need much for her body to yield.  
The predator let go of her.

* * *

Mouth still formed into menacing one Victor huffed approval. This was better. Stubbornness and stupidity would just bring the female into deeper crap and him knocking the lights out of her.  
The feral man turned back around and restarted the engine. He didn't need to order the bambi to hold onto him and this time the grip was firmer than before.  
Much better.

Driving the vehicle with full speed, but avoiding most jumps and quick turns, Sabretooth made it to the cottage. It was just like he had left it.  
People in the village hadn't talk about it, so maybe this place was completely forgotten?  
It was at a perfect place though: deep in the woods, no people around, surrounded thickly by trees and laid on a low hill. The two-storey building was sturdy, not too large and there were good hunting grounds all around. Even a river was behind the house and not far away even.  
It was just what Sabretooth wanted from his hideout. Maybe he'll turn this place into one after this shit storm calmed down.  
Stopping the snowmobile next to the house Victor turned to look at Anna.  
She had fought to stay awake to here but she was clearly in need of rest.  
Maybe he should have tried to go back to the village, into the car and drive off. But Victor didn't do much regretting mistakes from past. Never helped with present.

This time the feral man lifted the woman in bridal style, gathered close to his chest and pushed her head to lean against his shoulder.  
This is how it's done, right? Victor didn't practice this kind of carrying so he wasn't sure.  
At least Anna didn't protest, much, as moving the leg hurt and made her wiggle.  
The smell of blood, sweat and female wasn't exciting now than usually.  
Now the mixture made Sabretooth fell unsettle, glancing at the drowsing female and making him walk faster inside.  
Had to just get her patched up and the feeling would go away.

It had been some time, a long time, when Victor had treated injuries, but he still remembered.  
The first time he had learned about healing others had been, when Jimmy's healing ability hadn't kicked fully in yet. But even after that had happened, it was still good to know these things: sometimes healing ability wasn't enough or it could make things worse.  
Sabretooth also sometimes needed his victims suffer but stay alive. With his ability and job he had come well learned about human anatomy and its functions.  
But to treat someone so they could stay alive and be fully capable afterwards was a bit hazy in the predator man's memory. He tried his best now though.

It was better to leave the bullet inside Anna's thigh. Taking it out would have been too risky: the wound could get infected, the inner bleeding could start again, he could accidentally make the injury worse and so many other things could go wrong.  
The bleeding had almost completely stop during the ride to here so carefully Victor took off the binding that Anna had made.  
Claws cutting pants he had cleaned the wound's surroundings the best he could, the woman not waking up which worried him. After that he had ripped couple of shirts which he had found and used the shreds as a new bandage.  
The leg wasn't swelling anymore but felt hot to touch. Victor didn't smell anything to be wrong with Anna's leg, yet.  
He still needed to get her out of here and have professional treatment.  
In here they could take a break and let Anna's condition become even before heading back to village.  
After treating and covering her with his jacket and leaving her sleeping on the large sofa next Victor had put a fire in the living room's fireplace.  
Then getting snow from outside he had melted some water in a kettle.  
Suffering from blood lost Anna needed to stay hydrated, and needed meat too but Victor didn't trust to leave her alone for that long.  
After all this the mutant male sat on the couch next to the female.  
And when not having any more stuff to keep himself busy with, his thoughts turned towards the whole situation.

What next? After all this, when the woman was safe, treated and healthy, what then?  
The feral male was not sure.  
But he had learned his lesson: do not leave the female alone anymore. In addition that she got herself into trouble, it was pain in the ass without her.  
At first it had been more like irritating itch when Victor had left. At least compared to what had formed later on.  
In just couple of days it had gotten worse. Thoughts about  _what if_  coming steadily into his mind. A bad feeling settling that he couldn't shook off. Which seemed to be right after all as seeing now the situation that Anna had gotten herself into.  
Then... There was really no way describing it.  
The closest thing the man could compare the state of his mind with, was like what happens with distressed animals.  
When an animal keeps calling, looking and waiting for its disappeared mate. And it can't leave until the mate is found, all instincts on edge so it can't relax at all.  
Like dog waits for its owner at the door. Cat calls for its sold kits. Deer stays with its injured friend or tiger guards its trapped mate.  
Sabretooth hadn't been able to focus on or enjoy of anything fully, his mind all the time on the edge.  
It felt like he was trapped by the guilt of leaving the female behind.  
Everything felt wrong, just wrong, all the time.  
And that feeling had made Victor mad, nothing making it go away until he decided to give up and come back.

Sabretooth didn't like the idea of a mate.  
Someone to take care of, someone who he couldn't leave alone for long time or had to consider in when he planned something. His instincts making him crazy if he didn't stay with her, or whatever they wanted from him when it came to her.  
It felt weird to doubt your own wants when you had so long just let them rule you without any hesitation. Let yourself be selfish with the reason; just because you could and it wasn't any worthwhile of thinking others. And now this was the second time that Victor was doing this, his instincts colliding with his... Uneasiness.  
Was it about killing or something more basic he wouldn't be so wondering than with this mate thing.  
But it wasn't like he was completely inexperienced with this.  
Sabretooth had been in couple of relationships in the past.  
  
Mystique, the blue shape-sifter, had been one of them, the longest one, though not consistent as they had gone on and off for long time.  
Both knew what they were and so hadn't wait anything special from one another. Both using each other in their own way for their own things until the other got enough and they were again hating each other until something, yet again, was needed from other.  
But then Victor had enough of being manipulated and played with, the blue bitch being more trouble than anything else.  
...With Anna the mutant feral was not sure what kind of deal they would have.  
She wasn't needy, acted independently and was strong in physical and mental way. Sometimes too stubborn though, but being treated right she would obey. Wasn't bad to look at, had the fire in her. Had a sharp tongue and was enjoyably playful when in that mood. Didn't wait him to be gentle or to sugar coat things.  
Gave him a challenge and didn't fear his claws or what he could do to her if she pissed him off.  
She didn't judge him or despised his animalistic nature.

Staring into the fire, listening the burning wood's crackling and feeling the warmth increasing in the small living room that had a kitchen in it, Sabretooth decided.  
This could work, this mate thing.  
Just needed to keep the bambi alive, satisfy his needs with her, see her now and then... Yeah, that didn't sound too hard. And it wasn't like he wouldn't get anything from this thing. He was a lot more relaxed and lucid now with Anna next to him. He enjoyed fucking her, enjoyed of her company and... He kinda enjoyed of tending her.  
Making her feel better had given him different pleasure than when just filling his needs, and it didn't feel uncomfortable.  
Just a bit alien.  
But she was still a stubborn mule and challenging him so that it wasn't amusing anymore.

Sighing, still doubts in his mind but now more content with his decision Victor leaned backwards on the furniture, glancing at the sleeping woman next to him.  
Victor needed to get Anna into the deal. Or force her. She was his now and when Sabretooth wanted something he didn't give it away. Or he destroyed it so no-one else could enjoy of it.  
He was a bastard in that way: he didn't like sharing or losing.

* * *

Anna woke up suddenly because of a dry throat.  
Body jerking with every coughing she quickly turned to her side, fingers digging into cushion when the movement shot pain into her thigh.  
The fit was as quickly gone as it had come, the woman breathing heavily and trying to swallow moisture into her throat.  
A hand settled onto her upper shoulder, supporting her pose. It was comforting, just the warm touch.  
Opening her eyes Anna saw a cup being brought to her mouth.  
"Drink", gruff voice commanded. Wanting the irritation to stop she drunk the warm liquid. It was just water, tasteless and warm, soothed her throat.  
Wanting more faster she placed her hand onto the one that hold the cup. The holding palm's size and rough texture made her glance to the person next to her.  
She was surprisingly little concerned or dumbfounded to see it was Victor.  
She was curious though, and a bit confused, of his presence and his caring action. They made her suspicious of his intentions.  
Anna kept watching the feral man as she drunk, he holding her gaze back evenly.

The look on his eyes made her uncomfortable.  
It wasn't just a look. It was intense and observing, but not a hostile one or Anna didn't sense that from it. It still made her inner animal nervous though as the feral just stared all still. The whole situation felt suddenly very intimidating to Anna whose stomach started to turn into knots under the gaze. She swallowed the last from the cup and lowered her face while licking his lips. She was unable to look away from Victor though, mostly because of stubbornness and some of... She just felt like not to let him out of her sight.  
After her drinking everything the predator put the cup down to the floor and kept staring back, his hand still laying on her shoulder.  
Ears twitching Anna asked with a bit groggy voice.  
"How long I slept?"  
"About an hour."  
Nodding Anna slowly turned her gaze away. This was just like the jacket back then.  
Looking around gave to Anna something else to be worried about though.  
She recognized the living room of her childhood home, the cottage where father had kept her.  
"...How did you know to come here?" she asked, feeling a fight sparking inside her, between need to stay calm and a primal fear.  
Bad place. Bad, bad place, lots of pain. Caged, no escape.  
The beast is dead, the forest is safe, the cottage is safe, no need to fear.  
But it is not easy to forget the fear that had been felt through years.

"Found it after our first fight... The place is haunted or something?"  
Anna couldn't response to the joking tone. Instead she pushed herself upwards.  
The hand on her shoulder pushed her back down, and that action in turn made her automatically hold herself up against the pressing hand. The claws pressed into her through clothes.  
"Don't get up. Why are you nervous?"  
The tone of the predator's puzzled her. It almost sounded like he was sincerely asking what was wrong.  
Like she was going to tell him.  
"The villagers know this place, they'll come here or sent police."  
"That's not what's making you scared."  
Finally the prey feral looked at the male, glaring up to him.  
"Not your business. Let go", she snapped, still keeping herself up against the pushing hand. Victor put more force to the act and in her current state the woman couldn't fight back.  
But she wasn't going to submit.  
Pulling the knife out she placed the blade against the side of Sabretooth's lower stomach.  
"Let go", she repeated.  
A deep warning growl filled the strained air in the room.  
"Put that away."  
"Take your hand off first."

* * *

Victor didn't feel like playing nice now.  
The place obviously was upsetting the woman and he wanted to know why.  
But she was just as stubborn as ever.  
She had to start obeying him if he was gonna keep her around. If she would always wrestle with him verbally and physically in everything, then one time it would lead into her death.  
  
So, grabbing onto the knife holding hand and to the other one too Victor flipped the female onto her back. He ignored the hiss of pain as her injured leg was suddenly moved.  
Pressing her hands down, basically making her almost incapable of fighting back in the condition of hers, Sabretooth leaned down towards the laying female.  
Baring his teeth Victor let out a challenging growl to the still woman.  
She answered back with a glare of hers, not wavering as he loomed above her face.


	22. Move toward

Only once had Anna met a mountain lion.  
In the forest, she had ran into a situation that was about a fight between life and death. The scene had halted her in more ways than one.  
Standing still she watched how a caribou bucked wildly with a bobcat holding onto its back. The herbivore's mouth was foaming, eyes wide and its legs were kicking in every directions as it tossed around. Anna had felt its strong want to live. Despair behind every act.  
Then the cat closed its jaws onto the caribou's neck.  
Suffocating the panicking animal the bobcat slowly killed its victim, not letting go even when the prey crashed down to the forest floor. It just kept biting, latching the airway until a last struggle vanished from the dying caribou.  
After all the fight the prey had given to survive, that way of dying was like mockery.  
The cat let go while licking its bloody lips, hovering over the large kill. Then the beast looked straight at Anna.

The woman was deeply haunted by the great feline predator.  
By its claws and fangs. Its powerful body. The way it killed its prey, moved fluently with power but most of all, by its eyes.  
The way how those stared straight into her. Steadily and calmly, full of confidence. Just those eyes on their own hold so much power in them.  
That look and those golden eyes were one of the most beautiful things Anna had ever seen.

The eyes of a pure predator.

The eyes that now loomed above her were maybe not animal's nor golden colored, but their gaze was the same one.  
Anna envied Victor and also admired him deeply, even if she didn't admit it.  
Ever since the first fight she had recalled many times the way the feral man moved, with confidence and decisiveness. That smile of his that showed just a bit of those sharp teeth in a light threat, with a promise.  
The man was handsome, with that beard of his, the strong shape of his face, that stark but a bit blunt nose. And the way he carried himself, in physical and mental way.  
Anna wanted to explore him, the great predator that she wanted to be. Understand how he had come to be what he was.  
But just as she admired him for all those qualities, those also were all the reasons she couldn't let herself relax around him. If she did, she would certainly regret it.  
It was against her nature and everything she had learned about deferring around predators.

So, she didn't yield when the teeth were inches away from her face, harsh growl rumbling out and those eyes glaring.  
But she couldn't help from feeling a spark of warm blaze as she stared into those eyes.  
It was uncomfortable how Victor had enthralled her into feeling so strongly of him in everything he was and did. With one smile he could anger her or with one look feel ready to mate or amuse her with the twisted humor of his. Easily tipping her over with just a light push.  
Anna always had to fight to keep herself from slipping around the male mutant. And now it felt like she didn't have much strength to do that.  
It was intimidating.

* * *

"Tell me", Victor demanded as Anna kept her face straight from any pain he was causing to her: pressing the wrist bones and gristle against each other with increasing pressure.  
"No", the female answered.  
Sabretooth pondered. He could break her wrists, maybe just the other one, and maybe that would show that he wasn't to be denied. That could also be the first punishment for what trouble she had given to him.  
Lengthened claws pressing against the soft and thin skin at the wrists, drawing out drips of blood, Sabretooth glared down at the now gritting female.  
He could just break her.  
Beat to submission or so that no-one else, like Jimmy, could enjoy of her.  
But unlike with his victims, that he could just play until discarding them, or unlike with fucks, that he had some kind of agreement until there was nothing to be gained for anymore, he had a plan to keep Anna. As a mate. And that would be hard if she was dead, too broken to stay interesting to him or she all the time putting up defense against him.  
It would be just like this, they both struggling with each other all the time, if they wouldn't find some kind of common ground.  
Balls was this mate thing pain in the ass. Why did the runt whine for something like this?  
Victor sighed.

The female's breathing wavered as Victor loosened some pressure from the wrists and rubbed them with his fingers and claws, making shallow scrapes.  
"So what is it with this place?" he decided to pressure with less demanding attitude, cocking his head to side while looking at her.  
"Why did you come back?" she asked in turn.  
Victor put pressure back to her wrists.  
"I asked first."  
"I lived here, now answer mine."  
Brows lifting Victor looked at the glaring female. So this had been her home, where she had lived with her father?  
...Made more sense why she was so upset.  
"Hey!"  
He focused back to her.  
"Answer to my question, now", she kept demanding. Maybe he could sometimes put a gag to her. Could be fun.

* * *

It wasn't like Anna liked pain or anything. She fucking hated it, probably no-one liked that kind of shit. She was just confused at her condition, her thoughts were getting mixed up and weird.  
So it was just good that the puss was getting her mad at him, it was much easier emotion to focus on.  
The feral male answered, while releasing her arms and getting up from the couch.  
"Had to check on my prey, and I was right to do so."  
Anna didn't like the loose sounding explanation.  
When the feral predator leaned down to get the jacket from covering her, Anna grabbed the knife again and captured Victor's stretched arm. Lifting and tangling her left leg over the arm she had him in a lock up, with knife pressing to his inner elbow through sleeve.  
Just a good pull and she could broke his arm or make him bleed fast.  
Of course the kitty didn't like this and Anna tensed when feeling claws on her injury. She actually got nervous about it, and she was sure he could notice it. She tried to keep her face straight.  
"You sure you wanna do this now, bambi?" the predator asked in complete calm tone and there was no visible sign of annoyance on his face.  
That made his gesture on her thigh even more pressing.  
But she was a stubborn. Good or bad thing, that depended on the situation. With Victor Anna acted more than was wise to but he pissed her off just so easily.

"First tell me the truth. Why did you come back?"  
It wasn't even near spring, Logan hadn't visited yet and it had been just couple of weeks when Victor had been gone. Even if he had come back in time to help her, it still didn't make sense why he had returned.  
The answer he next gave, was nothing Anna had excepted.

"Because I'm gonna keep you."  
Anna blinked. Several times while staring dumbfounded, her brains processing what the predator had just said. Keep her? Keep?

"...Nope", she readied to ruin the predator's arm. Then the claws pressed through bandages against her skin and she froze immediately.  
Her legs were the only thing she could be truly proud of herself, protect and fight with. Any animal in the wild with broken leg was instantly dead whatever they were otherwise okay or not.  
The eyes of a predator looked at her steadily and calmly. Her gaze was hesitating.

* * *

Victor knew he had found the one thing that really scared the woman as he smelled it, while he threatened her injured leg.  
Every animal would be afraid of getting unable to move with all their legs. Humans too.  
It would significantly help Sabretooth to keep eye on Anna if she couldn't runaway.  
But like always, the bitch had to be difficult and do something stupid. Like that fucking gun back then.  
Victor immediately knew what the female was going to do when she opened her mouth and slide tongue between her teeth.

Ignoring pain at his shoulder Sabretooth switched to grab the woman's jaw, holding it open from sides with his hold.  
"Don't you fucking dare", he snarled. "You try this kind of bullshit ever again and I _will_ bind you so you can't do anything to yourself."  
There was spike of fear.  
Sabretooth didn't want to keep Anna as his mate if she would fight back all the time or seek to get herself rid off him in one way or another. That would be shitty situation in many ways for both of them. And he didn't want her to hate him that much.  
He didn't want her to fear him either. Or maybe just a bit, so she wouldn't always try to push his limits that he would end up harming her. It would rub in wrong way his instincts that told him to take care of his mate. But he also didn't like the idea of her trying to boss him around. Or that she would be all the time angry to him.

This was why he had tried to leave before this mate-thing would really kick in.  
But guess it was already too late back then.  
The feral male cursed in his mind as he looked at the woman who tried not to show fear but was clearly cautious towards him.  
"Listen", he growled.  
"I'm gonna explain to you. But I need you to stay still and not to do anything stupid. Now. Let go of my arm."  
Slowly she listened. Her sudden wariness was sour sight to witness.  
The predator feral was however a bit reluctant to release the woman's jaws, but she had done as he had told her so he also released her in turn.

* * *

Anna was not gonna stay with this psychopathic cat! She was not gonna end up as some insane corpse that was kept in a basement for beating and raping like some damn animal! Fuck that shit, she was not gonna do that!  
"Hey?"  
She was not gonna end up like mother. She would die than becoming something like that! She was gonna fight back until he killed her or she would get the opportunity!  
"Get the grip Anna."

Anna had enough. She didn't like these kind of fucking mind games, lying and bending, she had enough of those after father and Joseph. Swallowing she demanded.  
"Just the fuck you want from me?! You don't kill me but you keep talking about it, you leave and then come back, just what the hell is _your game_ Victor?!"  
Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Why couldn't he just fucking die or disappear? She needed to get away from him before he would bind her like a damn mutt!  
Anna felt need to run, get away, runaway and she would have done that, sometimes it's better run, but at the same time her body started to petrify like a prey in front of a large prey.  
And she was that.  
She could take pain, she could stand for being beaten in any way as long as it meant she had a chance to fight back or runaway. But an idea of being held down, of being restrained and played with like a toy, with no end to it or no control over it... That kind of thing made her sick in the stomach, remembering the feel of powerlessness, mother's mindless state, never knowing when, where and how...  
That was her great fear, the one thing she couldn't stand if being put into that situation.  
And she loathed how it so easily started crumbling her.  
The soft sound vibrating into her pulled Anna's mind back, her gaze focusing and feeling warmness against her. Blinking, breathing promptly she grounded herself as she wondered what was going on.  
The puss was purring. And leaning against her. Not too heavily. Hand against her head, warm breathing tickling against her throat as teeth lightly pressed against her skin.

It was odd.  
But she couldn't deny the effect of it, she focusing onto those stimulations and only those. The purring, the teeth and the breathing and the warmness of his. She needed to stay calm and clear headed, she wasn't safe yet.  
Even if she could easily fell into that belief in this weird act that the predator was pulling now.

* * *

Seemed like his instincts were working right after all. The female was calming down as he hold her and purred. The irritating scent of her distress decreasing, though not completely going away.  
He needed to get her into better shape, safer place and then go through the mate thing with her. Now it wouldn't go nowhere. Letting go of Anna's throat Victor glanced at her face.  
"You calm now?"  
She nodded.  
"Good. We'll leave. Need to get you treated."  
Again she just nodded, swallowing, blinking.  
Victor felt a sudden need to strip her from that, the thick layer that kept her together outside even if there was probably a hell raging inside her. Only slight shaking, faster breathing and unseeing stare giving away that she was more effected by his words of restraining than she showed.  
He wanted to see what laid under it. He didn't want to shatter her like back at that night, when she had almost shot herself.  
Sabretooth wanted to strip her completely naked to nothingness and observe what makes her into her. But it wouldn't be easy. And that was just good.  
He liked challenges, when his prey made him work for it.  
Pulling away, looking at the laying woman Sabretooth pulled his jacket on and started thinking would it be too hard to avoid the villagers by circle widely through the forest and to the car.  
"They are coming."  
Victor frowned, not hearing anything as he listened quietly. But the woman kept going with confidence.  
"Three, from the front."  
As he stepped towards the front door, holding the handle, the feral man finally heard the engines. Snowmobiles. Guess he had to kill them before they could start heading back.

Victor didn't have much patient for playing now though. He crawled outside through a window from the side of the house and stalked for a moment before jumping on them. After that he returned into the cottage, seeing that the woman was now sitting at the sofa, just sitting.  
Gathering her into his arms he brought Anna back outside and like before they took one of the snowmobiles and he started driving them back towards the village.  
Just needed to get the hell away from this whole place. Get her treated, fed and into safe place and then they could start talking. Hopefully this calm attitude, although there was something eery about it, of Anna's would last that long.

* * *

Anna had decided her plan now, starting it when the male had been outside, clearing their escape.  
She couldn't stay here in the village, nor at the woods. She couldn't go back to her home. She didn't have anyone here anymore. She was wounded and weak.  
So, she needed now to get better before she could decide what to do next, where to go and what to do.  
And if this puss here was going to provide the means to her, why should she deny it from him? As soon as she would be back to herself and more clear minded of her situation, she would then decided what to do next.  
And how to get away from this feral predator.


	23. Adjusting

After an hour of driving, police cars and a helicopter zoomed pass them.  
Seemed that the ferals had left the village just in time, leaving immediately after sneaking into Victor's car.  
Glancing at the sleeping Anna at the shotgun the predator took out a cellphone and made some calls.  
Needed to have the female treated and a hospital was out of the question.  
Even if the murders in the village and the woods would not be connected to Anna, she would be accused for killing the old man and that boy.  
And surely this kind of happening, lots of bodies and possible mutant connection, in a small quiet village would take its place in the media. And then there was Jimmy...  
Sabretooth would need to hide his mate until all this would calm down...  
He huffed with a half-grin.  
Like he had any plans of showing his mate to anyone. He was a selfish bastard, didn't like to share anything or anyone with others. As kids, he and Luther always had some kind of quarrel of something's ownership. And the last one was over a fucking piece of pie. Couldn't even remember anymore what kind of...

After a second call one of the contacts told about an animal doctor near the area. Didn't ask questions as long as got paid. Good enough.  
It was morning when the two finally arrived, Anna half-awake and seemed to need more rest. Victor was doing fine, used to this kind of complicated situations and their nature of lengthening.  
Being called beforehand the female veterinarian was already awaiting for the two at the front porch of the small clinic. While lifting and carrying Anna the predator checked the stranger. He liked of the dull gaze that stared back at him, and how the redhead immediately showed the way to the treatment room and started asking health question from Anna without hesitation.

* * *

Anna felt tired, really tired. She just wanted to sleep and she had gone numb towards the pain in her leg.  
Answering to the questions while trying to sit straight on the metal table was exhausting. Didn't help that the puss had brought her into a complete strange place. Anna could hear the whining animals in another room, how nervous they were because of Victor, smelling him, the predator in him.  
It was so hot here too.  
The questions started to irritate the prey feral, the woman now glaring at the veterinarian who prepared to remove the bullet. Anna didn't like this stranger, didn't like this strange place. Didn't like the condition she was in now.  
Didn't like the whole fucking damn situation! She still needed to deal with the catman and his crazy _keeping-you-thing_ and now she couldn't go back to home, she had fucking killed Joseph, gotten herself discovered and-  
Oh my god she was so screwed. She needed to get somewhere, needed to calm down and thing this whole situation through. She needed a new place. Somewhere far away but where? What if she would be wanted criminal for murders?  
Anna was starting to loose it, the pressure in her head getting worse and worse and the tired body demanding for its basic needs to be filled.  
Food and sleep. Safe, warm and dry place.  
The prey inside her was starting to struggle.  
Anna didn't have anything, no tools for how to help herself in this one.

* * *

It was all quiet in the room except for the veterinarian asking questions from Anna who answered shortly. It was a tense atmosphere, the female feral being the most on the edge. Like a spooked animal that was in every way cautious, doing slow movements and keeping an eye on everything and everyone. Her nervous attitude, increasing stress, pushed Sabretooth in turn towards the edge.  
He wouldn't bring her here if he wasn't sure she would be safe. He was there with her, he was standing right next to her, almost touching her. She didn't need to act like she was surrounded by unfamiliar people without any protection from him!  
Victor's instincts reacting to Anna's nervousness irritated him.  
He growled to the veterinarian to be a bit faster. And he almost reached out when the bitch just rolled her eyes. But as the doctor took a needle out, explaining that it helped Anna during the operation, the feral woman reacted. Ready to fight.  
"No!"  
  
Victor caught her from kicking the retreating veterinarian. "You are not gonna put that shit into me!"  
Slamming the female down, maybe with more force than necessary, Sabretooth hovered over Anna.  
"You wanna keep your leg or not?" he asked with serious expression. And there it was. Hint of fear.  
It just acerbated him more now, he needed her to start... Trusting him or something close to that, at least for now.  
"I promise", he tried to speak more calmly to the tensed female, changing his hold on her into more gentler one. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, but you need to put down your claws and let her treat you."

* * *

Hell yes Anna was nervous and distrusting!  
She was out of her territory with a feral predator who was talking about keeping her and now some stranger was going to give her the needle!  
And now the puss was _promising_ things to her? This situation was just getting better and better with every shitty turn!  
She really didn't trust Victor. Why would she? This was just one of the stupid mind games of cat and mouse and Anna knew one when she saw one. They give you something you want or need, earn your trust with it and then they piss all over on what ever you give to them.  
Anna felt the animal inside her starting to cower as she stared into the predator eyes above her. She started to feel like she really was starting to loose this. Everything she had was gone. Her freedom, her territory, her herd, her weapons and powers.  
But, in order to have a chance of surviving, she needed to play the predator's game. Just for the time.

"Fine", she finally said, looking away from the man and trying to think something else as Victor pulled away and the veterinarian push the needle into her. Taking a deep breath she tried to stay calm and from shaking.  
If she would wake up in a cage or shackled she was gonna cut the bastard open and feed his own entrails to him again and again.  
Anna almost jumped when there was a light touch. Glancing she saw the predator standing close to the table. It was his knuckles that had a light contact to her bare hand.  
  
...Anna decided not to move, the drug starting to make her mind foggy and darkening.  
At least she would not see dreams now.  
They really... Would be fucked up... Now...

* * *

Keeping close to the unconscious female Victor monitored the veterinarian's doings, not seeing her doing anything weird to Anna.  
The bullet was found and the wound treated. The feral woman should make a complete recovery with rest and some antibiotics, shouldn't move her leg for couple of days, not put much pressure on it for weeks and nothing heavy at least for a month.  
Paying with cold cash and getting the antibiotics in a paper bag Victor gave one last look to the veterinarian.  
  
Stepping towards Victor startled the human, the feral walking towards until the woman was against a wall, the paper money dripped from her grasp to floor and she being completely silenced by fear.  
Good. She should be. Only because she needed to treat his mate Sabretooth hadn't slapped the eyes out when she rolled them at him.

Observing the pity human's scared form, without him needing to do anything else than just stare and drove her into a corner, Victor felt satisfaction.  
Now this was familiar to him. This was what he was good at.  
Smirking the mutant said in calm tone: "Thanks for the help doc. But if her leg won't get better, or you rat us out..."  
After getting a terrified nod the large predator turned, gathered sleeping Anna to his arms and left.

With more hours of driving there was a motel.  
They were far enough from the shitty village and its people. And Anna needed to start healing, at least so that Victor was more confident to make a longer trip with her. Had to get food too.  
The mutant male stopped in the motel's yard and looked at the place.  
Seemed like a stereotypical one. Hopefully the owner too was one of those don't-tell-just-show-the-money-type. Sighing, rubbing his face Victor glanced at the still sleeping woman.  
She was a mess. He needed to get meat into her and a lot of rest.  
Oddly it didn't bother to see her in this kind of weak state, his to take care for, or not so much as he had excepted so. The beast man hummed, knowing fully well that the bambi would get fired up if she would hear him now. She would fuck him up, or try to, despite of her wounded leg. That reminded Victor to take that knife from her by the way, although, would it just make her more stressed and distrusting?  
Victor didn't like the idea of getting stabbed but what he knew, Anna was already anxious towards him and his claim of her.  
This sure was full of trouble like he had anticipated.  
The reason why he had tried to leave before things became more complicated.

Getting out of the car, careful not to wake the female, Victor went inside and rented a room for a week at least. Then he got back, taking the still deeply sleeping female and carried her into their room.  
Placing Anna onto the bed Sabretooth closed the curtains as the sun was starting to rise behind the surrounding forest.  
Stretching lazily the feral just undid and dropped all the clothes before crawling into the twin sized bed. He watched that he didn't scratch much her as he got rid off of Anna's clothes, throwing the racks also to the floor.  
Covering both of them under blankets the feral man laid on his back, hands behind his head and finally let himself relax.  
  
He was not sure what would happen next. But he was sure that he was keeping this frail with him, no more pussing out.  
Even if Anna would take time to get use to the mate thing. There would be lot of problems for them to get through, no questions about it. They just had to keep it simple to both of them, what he wanted and she wanted and with that they could make a working agreement.

Glancing at the unmoving woman Victor pondered for a moment, remembering the night Anna had pulled him into her bed.  
He reached towards and pulled the small noises making sleeping feral against him, he responding to her with soft purring.  
Had to get her clean too, Victor smirking to the thought of them bathing together, but now they would just sleep. Adjusting to the warm body against him the predator moved around some, getting onto his side and circling his upper hand around the woman's middle body. It wasn't easy though, the predator feral wasn't really a spooning kind, and he wasn't exactly sure why he now tried it.  
Anna was clearly more experienced at this as she just molded right against Victor without effort, and while deeply sleeping at the same time.  
Just like back at that night.  
When she had thought he was the runt.  
A whine awakened the feral man from the memory and raising his hugging arm he saw small drops of blood on his lengthened claws. Snarling he peeked, but only saw minor scratches on Anna's stomach.  
Huffing, licking his claws clean Sabretooth turned back onto his back, hands behind his head.  
Shouldn't have tried...  
The glum look on his face changed into wondering one though, as the female turned in her sleep and settled against and over him. Her body molding into half-embracing and resting one against him.  
Observing this awhile Victor carefully moved his other arm and placed it around the woman, hand resting against her back. Moving his claws lightly against Anna's backbone the woman sighed and pressed more against him.

Smiling the predator feral decided he would like to get use to this. The softness and warmness from Anna relaxing him completely.


	24. Caress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! A bit of smut in this one.

The strange, dim lightened room.  
The bed she couldn't recognize.  
She being all alone and with no clothes had given Anna a fright.  
Sitting up and feeling around, trying to perceive the room she was in the woman had tried to figure out where she was and how she had ended there.  
Panicking wouldn't solve anything, she knew it, but it was hard to fight back once it got a good hold of her mind and she couldn't find anything around her to grasp onto. In the darkness, barely making furniture's outlines she couldn't know what or who lurked where. And she was hurt, not able to kick any fucker who tried to jump on her.  
Heart hammering in chest, fists shaking and ears twitching Anna stared into the darkness.  
Scared part of her mind, a pretty big part right now, was painting all kinds of scary things around her.  
"Fuck's sake" the female feral hissed, more to herself than to someone who maybe was watching her in the corners of the room.

She was not a child anymore, waking up from a nightmare. She _needed_ to calm down to figure out the situation.  
Sitting all still Anna took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. Instincts telling her to keep them wide open, to see the danger but she was ignoring the need.  
Anna waited for her prey instincts to calm down on their own. Breathing in and out, listening everything. She didn't hear anyone in the room, she really was all alone.  
So there was no threat to be afraid of.  
Darkness is only a state of lighting, not a proof of danger.  
The thought wasn't enough to make Anna calm faster. Something else then.  
Swallowing she breathed through nose and tried to think something resent. It was a bad mistake as she first remembered the deaths.  
Sarah on the ground. Joseph choking on the floor. Gary fighting for the gun.  
The forest, she getting slower and slower. Gunshots.  
Gary staring at her just like a frightened child as she aimed the gun to his face.  
Anna opened her eyes but in the darkness she couldn't shook away the image of Gary's face. The image of his head exploding as she just kept pulling the trigger.  
Putting her head down, hands behind her neck Anna closed her eyes again. Trying to get over the dark, clammy feeling that was settling in her stomach. Waiting for the tears to stop from her eyes.

Why she did it? She could have just let him shoot her. That would have been better. Why did she fight back?  
She should have listened Joseph. Should have listened, and stop from going after the driver. Or no, Anna couldn't have done that, even if that would have been the right thing to do.  
The asshole had killed the only one good think in Anna's life. The feral woman didn't easily say anything to be hers, especially people, as everything was so easily to be lost. They either leave you or turn against you, one way or another.  
But Sarah... Sarah was something that Anna had liked to think as hers. Her friend. Hers. Her to keep and her to protect. Hers to feel happiness with and have just someone who she could somewhat see as... Family.  
So, maybe Anna should have let Joseph to shoot her then. Or should have let Gary shoot her.

Sniffling Anna tried to find her way through this.  
Part of her knew that what was done was done now, she needed to get over it and try to focus on the current situation. Survive. Victor had brought her here and he probably would come back soon. Had to think how to get out of this mess, as the crazy cat man had said about keeping her.  
But, the more humanoid side of Anna, was somewhat disturbed.  
Joseph had raised her. Maybe not given her what she really had needed but in his own way he had raised and helped her. He had given the support that Gary nor Sarah couldn't give.  
And Gary, he had been as innocent as a baby bird, always seen her as his sister and a friend. Easily to push over as he didn't like fighting.  
And now both men were dead because of Anna. And most of her was numb towards the fact. There was small part of guilt, anger that she had screwed everything up, but... Not so much guilt towards the doings than maybe should be.  
Heavy tears dropped evenly from the woman's face.  
Shouldn't she be as distraught as when Sarah died? Shouldn't she be broken that she had killed the man, who had grown with her and the man who had given her home?  
_`...Monster. Just like father.´_  
"Doesn't matter", Anna said to herself out loud, swallowing. It didn't matter was she like her father. Because he was dead and she was not. She was doing what her instincts told her to do and what she was raised into.  
A survivor.

It was all living things' the most basic instinct: stay alive. The motives alternated with different kinds but they all aimed towards the same thing.  
And if surviving meant for the people around Anna to die... Guess she didn't have a choice.  
Just thinking about giving up without a fight made her sick in the stomach.

Anna's prey instinct finally started to settle back in.  
When she was finally completely calm, she raised her head, wiped the tears away and concentrated to listen.  
There were voices of living around, people. Talking, walking, someone moved a furniture, tv was on somewhere. A apartment? Dormitory? There was forest around, Anna hearing trees moving because of strong wind blowing pass. She could hear now and then cars passing by. A highway?  
Seemed like this was the only building around and the highway only place where cars moved.  
...Maybe a motel or something like that? Had never been in those kind of but what Anna could make in the dark, the apartment she was in... It didn't seem like Victor's room. Didn't have the style like his. Anna could imagine Victor decorating his den with his preys like a hunter.  
Or maybe that was a bit exaggerating.

So now Anna knew where she possibly was. That was better than not knowing anything.  
Where was Victor then? How much time did Anna have to try to maybe escape?  
Although she didn't have clothes. And she couldn't run, just tensing the bandaged thigh was hurting... Should she scream? Ask for help?

Though she was probably looked for killing Joseph and Gary. Surely the villagers had called the police and blamed even Victor's doings on her.  
Sighing Anna decided to keep for now in the original plan: go with the flow until she was healed enough. Unless things would get bad, and quick. Then she would need to think up something else. Like playing a damsel in distress.  
Or snap the bastard's neck and make him unable to stop her from escaping.

* * *

Carrying couple of bags Victor was walking towards the motel room.  
He had been unsure to leave, his instincts telling him he _really_ shouldn't leave _this one_ alone even for a minute. And after he already once had left Anna alone, the feral knew there was a reason behind his worries. He wouldn't have been surprised to find the bambi having a fight with someone, or the motel burning, police cars at the area or heck, even the X-men being there.  
Or the most likely thing: the female on the run, escaping from him.  
Though Victor had made sure she didn't have any clothes to wear when he had left but with Anna? He had learned not to underestimate the female.  
It didn't calm him to see that everything seemed okay at the motel.

Opening the door and getting in Victor found the room still dark, the room's only window covered by curtains. The sun was faintly shining through them.  
Putting the bags down in the darkness the predator noticed the woman was not on the bed. Clicking the lights on he looked around the room. Studying the air the male feral caught the trail of Anna's leading into the bathroom.

At the closed door he listened for a moment. She was in there, near the door but not moving. Predator instincts agitating Victor glanced down at the lockable knob.  
Deliberately he slowly reached towards it, claws scratching the plastic surface.  
When he heard her suddenly move he yanked the door open, seeing the naked female feral reaching for the door knob.  
For a second the two just stared at each other.  
"...What are you doing?"  
"Trying to get into the shower", she answered with arms crossed over naked breasts, glaring up to him.  
Brow rising Sabretooth leaned against the doorframe with a half-grin.  
"I'm not stopping you."  
"Hmp..."

As the female turned towards the bathtub with a shower, Victor observed her moving. She was taking support from the sink, avoiding from putting much weight onto her wounded leg. Good, but the wound should stay dry and untouched in the shower. And she only has two hands.  
Or maybe the feral predator was just looking for excuses to join the female? Victor really didn't need, nor care, for any excuses to do what he wanted.  
This mate thing, and maybe staying away from the woman for sometime, had made Sabretooth somewhat wanting for to her presence and touch. And that was just a good thing: it would be complicated if he couldn't stand for the woman who his animal side so much saw as a good mate.  
_And_ he also needed a bath.  
"No."  
The man ignored Anna's protest and just kept getting his clothes off, dropping them on the floor and with a grin kept approaching the bathtub and the glaring woman. He stood behind the female who turned her back towards him, his body almost touching hers, as he waited for her to get into the tub.  
Leaning forward he whispered into her left ear.  
"Get in."  
  
...To Sabretooth's surprise, the woman didn't slash at him. Just stood there with crossed arms and staring forward with a scowl on her face. She smelled spicy, but she didn't even snap to him. Frowning, observing the female's face, Victor leaned closer, his bare chest touching her back. The closeness made the female tense up more.  
But still no reaction from her. The feral man tilted his head to side.

Next, he circled his arms around Anna and pulled her against him. The female placed her hands over his, fingers grabbing like reading to try to pry his grip open.  
Growl erupted from the feral predator, as the female still didn't do anything else than just kept being like a statue.  
The sneer on Sabretooth's face was not amused one.  
"Where are we?"  
"...What does it matter?" he asked suspiciously. She clearly couldn't go back to the village so why did she needed to know? She shrugged and continued.  
"Where were you?"  
"Buying some needed stuff."  
Another nod.  
The anger in her had diminished and all that Victor could pick from her was nothing. No anger or sadness nor happiness, just, nothing. And he didn't like that.  
Keeping her close he leaned to see her face. The faint blush and avoiding gaze was not what he had expected, as the woman kept darting away and back from his gaze, her fingers twitching against his hairy arms and she kept being tensed... Was she nervous?  
The memory of her reaction, when he had tried to offer his jacket came up.  
Relaxing, now understanding her weird behavior, Victor chuckled as the irritation vanished from his features. If a little bit friendliness was going to turn her into _this_ , he was going to enjoy of it.  
He was however glad that she reacted normally when he playfully licked the edge of her earlobe: sharp nudge to his stomach didn't stop his laughter.  
"Stupid puss..." the woman muttered.  
"Come on, I won't bite you", Sabretooth said, with his hips nudging the woman towards the tub. The movement gave him a pleasant tease, even more, when there was a small spike of arousal from the mate.

In the shower Victor helped Anna from wetting the bandages and supported her to stand.  
Doing that meant a lot of touching.  
Lot and lot of touching, Victor enjoying of the situation and of Anna's nervousness fully.  
He would think she hadn't done this before, with someone in a shower.  
A part of him wanted to tease the woman, poke her until she would finally slash at him. But then he was also curious to study this side of the female, where she was tensed and... Shy.  
She had lot of sharp edges so when she showed something softer, Victor wanted to study it. And being a pain in her ass would probably make that softness disappear.  
When the female feral had rubbed herself clean, Victor barely keeping himself from rubbing her, she moved away from the falling water and let the feral predator clean himself.  
Scrubbing himself through Victor observed the female just as she was now boldly looking at him.

* * *

Leaning against tiled wall, goosebumps forming over her skin, Anna decided to stop from shying away. From acting like a prey.  
Yes, she had been nervous when the puss had wanted to join her in the shower. Sharing a bed or a shower with someone was a bit personal, and especially now when she didn't have much of her own anymore... But fucked it.  
The bastard was enjoying of himself, the boner didn't lie, so why wouldn't she do the same?  
It wasn't like the predator's body was not impressive, she already had seen it couple of times before but now in better lighting and wholly... Light brown eyes looked through the muscular, wiry and broad form. The wide shoulders, powerful legs and arms, the thick hair. Sharp claws on those large hands... That stupid smirk, showing those canine teeth...  
True predator, was the only thing Anna could describe the man with.  
And if Victor wouldn't have the healing factor, his body surely would be covered by all kinds of scars, just like hers. Imagining the proofs of fighting all over the powerful body in front of her Anna felt somewhat hot and wet. Or maybe it was just the shower.

As her wandering gaze met the male's own, Anna hold it for a moment before trying casually to look away. The look on the predator's eyes, with his hardened manhood, did tell enough what he was thinking.  
Licking her lips Anna knew this was risky.  
She was suppose not to actuate the predator in any form, so she could have more space to think what to do after getting away, but so far she was doing a lousy job.  
Cold hitting her body Anna shivered.  
She had wanted to be difficult when the predator had wanted her in to the shower, protest against his wish. But it wouldn't be wise to anger feral predator when you can't fight back.  
Maybe she should just keep him happy, relaxed so he wouldn't suspect anything? It wasn't hard to pretend towards the man after all, Anna glancing as the predator moved.

* * *

Watching the impressive scar collection on that nice body with that blushing face was exciting.  
Those shying eyes looking at him was rousing.  
And smelling her agitation was torture, if he didn't act now.  
Stepping away from under the shower Sabretooth approached his mate with darkened eyes. Smirk deepening on his face, when Anna switched to lean against the opposite wall, staring him back.  
No fear at all on this one, not even anger. Just arousal.  
The smell, the woman's tensed form and his predator instincts sparking Victor took it slowly to approach the feral woman. The air in the small bathroom teasingly tensed, slow and steadily building as he slowly came closer and closer.  
Hearing her fast heartbeat, seeing his marks still around her shoulders, the sight stroking him in the right way.  
His. She was his and only his.  
He could fuck her however he wanted, keep her and no-one could say anything about it.

Sabretooth felt like a beast lured in by fresh meat as he kept lengthening the situation, him leisurely closing in. Placing his hands against the wall either side of Anna's head he leaned towards, keeping the eye contact.  
It was like that wonderful feeling inside him kept drawing out without an end and yet, being so fragile that it would break if he dared to go too fast too suddenly.  
A smirk forming on her scarred face pleased the beast man in a new way.

* * *

Licking her lips Anna looked deeply into the dark colored eyes. She could feel the force of this predator behind them, she feeling all excited by the tensed situation.  
She wanted it, feel the beast, let Victor fuck her just like in the woods back then.  
The prey feral knew she was playing dangerously, the animal inside her nervous but not so much as it usually had been. Maybe Anna was getting used to the predator's present, with these little games they played? Dangerous.  
And right now it just made her even more excited.  
The two ferals kept like that, staring at each other, breathing shallowly as the male leaned his forehead against the female's. It was like a steadily burning fire, that kind that warms deliciously through the whole body in teasing waves, warming more with every wave.

It was more senses than mind that made Anna to act next.  
Under the beast man's stare she felt like she needed to move slowly and keep quiet so not to disturb. She almost felt like a prey, but for great surprise it didn't anger her.  
She needed to, wanted to, explore him. Lifting her slightly shaking hands Anna kept keeping the eye contact, hearing the steady growl as her hands kept nearing.

* * *

Sabretooth was not sure what the female was going to do, his gaze flipping from the light colored eyes to her raising hands.  
He let out a growl that kept steadily rolling out, warning her from doing anything stupid but at the same time, the curiosity kept him from snapping.  
The growl then halted as the fingers lightly placed against his bearded sides. The tips sliding against his jawline down and up, over and behind the ears.

The gentle touches forced Victor to close his eyes, a soft growl slipping between his slightly parting lips. The fingers kept moving, delightfully caressing his neck, jaw, sides, brows...  
He wasn't usually touched like this, and he couldn't clearly remember the last time and with freewill. And he didn't really care for that kind of act, so it was a bit odd how the light touches now could feel as good as rough ones. The touches leaving tingling warmness behind as they explored his face.  
Opening his mouth the predator captured one of the wandering fingers between sharp teeth, corners of his lips rising as he looked at the bambi.  
The playful glare and blushing face was a damn adorable sight.

* * *

A smirk stayed on Anna's face when suddenly sharp teeth took hold onto one of her fingers.  
The sharpness of them and then warm moisture of the flicking tongue made her heart jump. Another wave of heat washed over her.  
She felt like drunk, good and warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach as she was not sure what she was doing. She just did what her instincts told to. And so far it had been pleasing to follow their commands.  
The other hand with free fingers, stopped at Victor's neck, started to roam again. Sliding against the broad chest, feeling the vibration of the mix of growling and purring.  
Crooking her fingers Anna tugged the chest hair.  
A whine slipped when the fangs on her finger nipped so that it hurt. But then the tongue soothed the pain away.  
Pulling her finger out she pressed more against the wall as the man stepped closer. She got trapped between them.  
It however didn't feel as distressing, as she would have anticipated. Just like in the woods, Victor's wide and warm body was more soothing than disturbing.  
It worried Anna a little, frowning as she looked at the predator.  
Shouldn't play like this, really...

* * *

Huffing to the mate's look Sabretooth rubbed his head in calm manner against the crook of her neck. Sensing the light stress of hers fading.  
Shouldn't worry at all, she was doing great.  
Victor turned his mouth against the side of the bambi's throat, running tongue against the skin and nipping lightly. The little moan was so sweet to hear while Anna's arms tangled around his neck, fingers sinking into his hair.  
Sighing he started to leave touches of his tongue, lips and fangs all across the throat as he moved his head around. He wanted to hear it, the strange sound that he had heard only Anna to make, when he excited her. Finally, as he sucked the soft spot between jaw and throat, the feral woman finally let out the sound. Small and as strange as always, but greatly satisfying.  
Chuckling Victor grazed his fangs against the female's jawline.  
And to his surprise, got his lips captured by the other.


	25. Mistrust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Smut and dark things in this one!

Victor didn't do kissing. He didn't like to get his face bitten by fighting frails. He didn't like it how someone just put their mouth against yours, suffocating, showing their dominance, tongue against your own and teeth clashing.  
The male feral let out a deep, warning growl when the woman suddenly had turned her head and placed lips against his.  
A corner of his mouth opened, showing sharp teeth as he glared at the female. Darkened eyes of hers tugged the predator towards mating, but he was stubborn towards the new gesture that the aroused female was doing.  
Growling and glaring, not moving an inch but keeping all still Sabretooth stared at the breathless woman who still kept her lips against his.  
It was the slow movements she made, that held the mutant from biting, the volume of growling increasing little by little.

Pulling away the mate of his looked at him curiously, eyes wandering on his face before she kissed again. Placing her lips against his, more lightly this time and not moving them, just keeping them there.  
The mutant man kept warning the woman. Claws of his lengthening against the wet tiles, creating high pitched sound that made the female's ears twitch.  
A hand with spread fingers started to pet the back of Sabretooth's head, making his growling stumble.  
The calm caresses against his scalp continued, melting the tension from his shoulders, his scowl softening and the voice of his decreasing.  
With the stroking Sabretooth didn't mind so much when the female kissed a corner of his mouth, softly touching there as she kept petting him.  
Closing his eyes the feral man enjoyed.

* * *

Anna was fascinated of the power she felt having at the moment.  
It had been purely emotionally driven instinct to place her mouth against Victor's, to simply kiss, and it had surprised her. But not as much as when he had growled and hadn't pulled away, or bitten her mouth, but instead just warned... It had intrigued the woman.  
But when she had started petting him? She felt completely heated as he more purred than growled and with closed eyes relaxed in her embrace, not even warning when she moved her lips across his mouth.

Anna had never felt such a strong feeling, making her feel yet weak and powerful, tingling shooting straight into her groin as she had the dangerous predator in her embrace acting like wax.  
Smiling she again moved her lips, kissing, just pressing them against his lightly parted lips. The prey feral moaned when the predator responded lazily back, soft lips moving against hers, sound of purring caressing her mouth in ticklish way.  
A word _hers_ formed in Anna's mind, shaking another voice full of pleasure out of her.

* * *

Coaxed by the soft touches and the strong sense of arousal, his and hers, completely overtook Sabretooth.  
His. This one was his. His mate, his. God he wanted to fuck her. Dominate her. Show that he was the only one who could handle her unlike anyone else. Show that she was his.  
The purring in the man turned into sharper one, though not warning as she couldn't be a threat to him in anyway, but more showing that he was now serious. No playing around now.

Left hand moved away from the tiled wall and grabbed onto the short blond hair. A pained hiss.  
Twisting the mate's head backwards Victor inhaled the smell of hers, smelling only how horny she was to him. Animalistic, throaty groan erupted from deep of him.  
His mouth around the mate's throat, teeth sinking into skin, he took a good hold of her. Moving his hands onto her bottom and hoisting her up, starting to rub against to get inside of her. Feeling down there only wetness and hotness welcoming him.  
Victor let out a deep and dark, pleased growl.  
He would show her, fuck her so good she doesn't want to leave when she had him as a mate.  
Clawed fingers kneaded the soft bum, leaving bleeding marks. Teeth scratched the throat, tongue licking the blood with short and quick swipes. Dilated pupils making Sabretooth's eyes almost black and unseeing by the high arouse he was charmed by.  
As he finally drove in, deep with one thrust, the mutant's whole body shivered by the pleasure and a guttural voice rise from his chest against the throat that he tightly hold between his teeth.  
Moving his hips in rising waves he started to fuck the female feral, groaning.  
His, this was his.

* * *

It hurt.  
It hurt how the fangs pressed her throat, making breathing uncomfortable. She felt like Victor was trying to bite a damn piece out of her, she wanted him to let go!  
And the claws felt like scratching deeper and deeper into her bottom, holding her up like iron bars. His muscular and hot body kept her against hard, cold wall.  
It wasn't the physical pain that bothered though, Anna could have liked it. She had liked it. She did like it.  
She would have barked not to bite so hard though.  
But no, the thing that disturbed, what caused the most discomfort and ghost like fear... Was that she didn't have a choice there.  
  
When the puss had grabbed her hair, claws damaging scalp, she had tried to snarl at him to let go. But couldn't. She couldn't say no to him.  
It was like she knew she didn't want to be grabbed and hold down like a bitch but she couldn't help but moan and just be held by Sabretooth. Let him have his way.  
It was like her body was not under her control anymore. She could feel how strongly aroused she was towards Victor, wanted him to have her, fuck her.  
No matter if it hurt.  
The need in her, primal want to be mated, overwhelming any way of thinking clear or act against the happening.

It was like being locked in own body, able to think but not act. Or being intoxicated.  
Anna wanted badly to mate with Victor. So badly, that she couldn't say no, when his hold onto her was getting uncomfortable. She couldn't say or do anything to stop this while inside, noticing this, she  was getting scared.  
She was so overwhelmed by him that he couldn't act against him.  
It terrified Anna as she hugged tightly on the feral male, sensing and hearing his pleasure, feeling him deep inside her. She wanted it to stop, now. She didn't understand what was going on with her and she didn't want to end pregnant. Would he let her have pills after? She didn't want to have the same fate as mother. Why she couldn't act? Why she wanted it so badly?

"Stop", the woman said in weak, barely audible voice. "Stop... Please, stop..."  
And yet she wanted to say don't stop, please just don't stop. Keep fucking me, I want it, make me come, please Vic.

* * *

Snow. Tasteless and cold. Covering what it touches.  
It wasn't strong but... Enough to disturb. Like a black spot on middle of white paper. Once you see it, you can't ignore it.  
But he was close to coming. Tension in him ready to snap and give release, just a bit more.  
The insides of her were so soft and taking, holding down like not wanting to let go of him at all. Hips slamming against the female's body Sabretooth panted and took a better hold of the mate's neck. Giving everything to fuck the daylight out of her. His. This was his sweet little piece of ass that no-one else was going to have. Headstrong female who was a damn prey and low leveled and yet was able to give him the challenge.  
He was keeping this one.

"Stop..."  
It was just a faint whisper.  
"-lease..."  
Smell of salt, covered almost immediately by the tasteless fear and humid heat was what disturbed the blissfulness of the mating. Frowning, starting to have feel of something being wrong Sabretooth slowed down. It was hard and almost painful for how he was so close to climax. With annoyed snarl he let go of the mate's throat and looked at her.  
Dumbfound was not even close to describe the face that Sabretooth had, when he saw Anna.  
The eerie look on her face, eyes blackened by widen pupils, tears running and emotion of disbelief and... Fear all over her face. She didn't look at him, staring straight and moving her hips against his in small movements.  
Now and then she barely whispered.  
Her throat and chest area was covered by blood, that bled from the teeth marks on her throat.  
The sight excited and yet disturbed Sabretooth at the same time. He felt the need keep mating, grimacing as he felt the stopping hurting his erect cock.  
"Stop..."

...With annoyance the feral man groaned, pulling out of the female and placing her standing on her legs. Holding from her hips, her arms settling down to her sides Victor tried to get eye contact with the weirdly acting blondie. When not getting one, he felt a spike of something uncomfortable.  
"Hey", he said sternly, taking now hold of the woman's shoulders. "Look at me."  
She started breathing heavily in different matter, blinking her eyes.  
Growling Victor shook her.  
"Hey!"

* * *

Anna didn't know why or how but she was thank fucking god getting back the control.  
There was burning desire in between her legs but it wasn't so overwhelming anymore, it didn't stop her from thinking nor acting.  
Now she started to feel just fear over what had just happened. How alien she had felt for not being able to think straight or act against the need.  
The shaking that the feral man gave to the woman didn't help the storm of emotions inside. Didn't help with the deep shock.  
"STOP!" the feral woman screamed, smacking Victor's arms, surprising the feral with her sudden outburst and so getting his hands off from her.

The angry roar that echoed in the small bathroom shook the walls. And hurt Anna's sensitive ears, she ducking and covering her head with her arms.  
She clenched them harder when hands with claws grabbed and pried them open, she not able to resist the force. Her arms were yanked away and hold on the air. She dared herself to lift her eyes and glare with deep anger at the equally furious predator.

* * *

Sabretooth had no idea in hell what was going on with the bitch who had first so happily started fucking him and was now acting like the bitches usually did.  
It wouldn't have bothered otherwise, but... She had shown clear signs of wanting to mate goddammit! And she was his!  
"What hell is wrong with you?" Victor growled as he kept grasping onto Anna's wrists. As she didn't answer, but just kept glaring, he showed his teeth in threatening manner and squeezed harder.  
Bones almost yielding under his grip.

The female smelled now more of anger than fear, though the last one still lingered like dried cum on cloth. It angered him, not understanding this frail.  
Leaning closer Sabretooth growled.  
"Answer!"  
"Let go!"  
Before he was going to crush her wrists Victor let go, watching with dark emotions as the mate again shielded her head and turned her bare back to him. Getting into corner like a damn _prey_.  
Her uneven gasping and shivering angered Sabretooth even more as he felt pressure in his chest, the feeling being in across with his still lingering horniness.  
Feeling need to do something, anything to get the feeling out, Victor turned and instead punched something else than the woman. Wall material and tiles scattered on the floor, the predator's angry roar filling the room. The small destruction didn't help.  
"You wanted it", he snarled to Anna. "You fucking asked for it _prey_ ", he hissed, feeling so angry and uneasy, before turning away and marching out, grabbing his pants on his way and ripped them on before getting out of the motel room.

* * *

Anna flinched as the front door slammed shut.  
She hated this. She hated this a lot.  
She hated powerlessness. The feeling of not having anything to protect herself with. Of not even able to trust herself with.  
She couldn't had done anything. She couldn't have been able to make Victor stop even if she had wanted to. It was like her body was not hers. The still oppressive want to fuck in her groin was painfully irritating.  
Clenching her fists the feral woman hit her palms against the walls. Again, with more force, feeling pain as she did it again and again.  
She needed the pain, to make it more painful than the one that Victor's words left.  
A sense of familiarity crept onto her skin.

Not being able to do anything, fear of not being on control, of someone else dominating her. The word _prey_ spat on her like it was the most filthiest word ever.  
Stopping from hurting her fists against the walls Anna gagged. Feeling nausea in her stomach.  
Fighting against the memories, not wanting to think father while being aroused.  
The prey feral hit her forehead against the wall, hissing from pain and holding her head.  
Had this been what happened with mother?  
Anna didn't know which one was worse.  
That mom and dad had gotten along with each other before something went wrong... Or that father had done something to mother so that from the start, she hadn't been able to do anything to help herself.  
Was that gonna happen to Anna too? Was she gonna...  
"Oh my god."  
Placing open palms against the walls Anna hold herself up as her legs felt weak and she hurled, shaking.


	26. Unfortunate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Dark things in this one!
> 
> EDIT: I'm having a bit insecurity towards the plot, how have I moved it on and how I have been handling the characters... Thoughts?

...Father hasn't been around for six days. There was still food and everything the child needed to survive until the feral man would come back, but...  
This was the first time father had been gone more than three days. After two days of no sign of him Anna had ventured again down to the cellar.  
The shackles down there were open and the spot where the woman had raged, was empty. There was no body anywhere. No blood.  
The little girl had not heard anything from the cellar after father had guided her out of there and from the hysteric woman.  
  
A thought of the fresh meat in the fridge made the child nauseated. She hadn't touched the meat after father had said he had things to do and so he would be gone for sometime.  
_"And you wait right here, understand? When the male is out, good females and cubs stay inside..."_  
  
The little girl swallowed nervously as she sat on the sofa in front of the dead fireplace, glancing now and then towards the cellar door. The memory of the hysterical woman down there sent shivers deep inside the girl, making her clench into smaller ball. She was starting to feel hunger, but she didn't want to touch the meat. That's only that there was, meat. Usually there was also something else but for some reason, now there was only fresh, neatly cut meat in there.  
...The child got up and stood for a moment, fists shaking and feeling a cold clump at the bottom of her stomach.  
A dangerous thought.  
She could... She could leave. It was already six days. What if father was dead? What if he would not come back?  
As the train of thoughts started, it wasn't going to stop.  
And soon the little girl turned towards the outdoor, walking with increasing determination.

If she would just keep going, she _has to_ come across some people. There was no doubt, there has to be people outside father's territory, has to.

Outside home, just picking up the direction, the girl started running on bare feet. The summer sun was high behind the trees. The wild life was calm around the running child.  
She kept running, faster and faster, everything just passing her in blurriness. An odd lightness started in her heart as she passed the marked borders, claw marks on trees, of father's territory.

Then she hit onto something, hard, and the something seemed to be somebody, as they yelled in surprise.  
Falling hard to the forest floor the girl scattered back up, turning in deep fear to see.  
Father? No.  
A person, a human.  
They were a man, with a backpack and a rifle.  
The gun and them being a strange male scared the child, but also as they were someone else than Father, made her nervous in different way.

The human rose while cursing angrily, grabbing their gun from the ground and turned towards the one who had suddenly rammed onto them.  
Their anger however drained away as they saw it was just a kid. Just a little girl with shaven head, scars all over her body that was covered by worn tank top and shorts. It seemed like the child had been through hell, and was scared to the bone.  
"Ummm", the stranger started, nonplussed by the sudden situation, and looked around like trying to find something. Or someone. Finally they looked at the petrified little girl.  
"Hi... I mean, are you okay?"

Anna stared at the man who put down his gun on the ground, crouched and looked at her with deep concern.  
She had found someone, a human. The question that they asked was filled with concern and the simple friendly gesture caused the child to cry in great relief. As tears filled the girl's eyes, she starting to wipe them away, the stranger was alarmed.  
"Hey, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you", he said while getting up and hurrying towards her.  
"And you won't."

The sudden different voice with deep, rumbling growling made everything stop.  
The stranger halted right away, just a step away from Anna, his hand reached towards.  
They both looked and saw the large, wild looking man standing there, hand leaning against a tree and long black claws sinking into bark. There was a dark look on the predator feral's face, green eyes staring deep into the human's eyes and just with the stare made the pitiful stranger to piss their pants.  
"Shit", the stranger said, taking sharp steps away from the child and raising his hands in nonthreatening way.  
"Ray, huh, please, I- I didn-"  
Anna looked the man who was as deeply scared of father as she was. And he knew father's name.  
"I didn't know she was your cub." the human said. "I swear, I'll-"  
The adult mutant let out a short warning, the snarl silencing the human.  
Like a giant cat the feral walked from the tree towards his cub, keeping eye on the still staying man with calm but threatening scowl.  
Stopping next to his cub the predator placed wide palm on her left shoulder, the weight and the gesture making the girl wobble under.

Anna stared at the forest floor, feeling every second worse and worse.  
She knew how this would end, but it still... Shocked.  
"I didn't saw anything Ray."  
The girl looked in deep hurt at the stranger, feeling the panic inside getting deeper, her animal completely petrified by the great predator's presence. She tried to say it, tried to show it, but it was like the stranger completely ignored her signals.  
The beast man didn't say anything, his sharp claws pressing but not breaking the child's skin through fabric. His deep green eyes kept glaring at the man who was starting to loose his hope.  
"Please, please I won't tell anyone! No-one will come, I promise! I have a kid too Ray!"  
"So you are ready to leave this cub here", the mutant said, glancing down at his upset cub and then back to the pitiful human. "Even though she clearly wants your help? You save your own skin?"  
"Please..."

Anna swallowed as father stepped towards the human, who kept his arms as shield against the approaching mutant. The stranger couldn't even turn and try running because of the fear.  
"No, god..." he started crying. Then screaming. Then gurgle as the blood started pouring from his mouth. Bones snapping, skin shredding like paper and flesh cut like hot butter.  
Anna watched as father took his time to maul the stranger in complete calmness. The man was ready to leave her with her father. Did he even have a kid?  
Bitterness blooming inside the girl clenched her palms and felt her face grimacing in anger.  
The feeling however diminished, for now, as father turned, covered by blood.  
"Now", the mutant male said with a friendly smirk, voice warm and like he was half-joking, his movements completely relaxed as he got up and approached.  
"What did I say about good cubs staying inside?"

The child got down to her knees, bowing her head and feeling weird numbness overtaking her body. Her mind closing as it knew what to except.  
This was after all familiar. The pain was familiar. Father was familiar.  
"I am sorry, father. You were gone for long", came the little girl's voice out in disturbingly even tone. As she saw the clawed toes in her view, father stopping in front of her, she closed her eyes.  
"I know. I'm sorry... But cubs still need to obey their fathers."

Knocking at the door woke Anna, she peeking from under the blanket which under she had crawled.  
After shower she had gone through the bags Victor had brought, finding suitable clothes, convenience food and medicine things to patch herself up. After eating she had fell asleep quickly on the bed, with new clothes on and wounds treated, painkiller taking care of aching.  
The stranger, with someone else judging from sounds, outside knocked again.  
The woman didn't move, staring in the darkness at the front door.  
No way it was Victor, he wouldn't knock at all.  
Listening Anna heard the two people.

"No-one is opening the door."  
"Did you see that guy? Who ever was screaming in there is more likely _dead._ "  
"Lets go telling the manager."  
"Yeah."

They left. Anna rose to sit and thought through the situation.  
The puss was not here, yet. Either the police, that they would likely call, would come first and get killed or Victor would take her away. Or kill her, which ever the cat man was now preferring.  
Sighing Anna thought what to do.

* * *

The runt was sick again. Really, really sick this time. The winter's coldness was something that Victor couldn't fight back, nor the sickness, and the little abandoned structure the brothers had inhabited this time was doing nothing to keep the cold away. He had tried to keep his little brother warm, steal clothes and good food, but it was not helping.  
Jimmy's healing ability was still so weak.  
The runt needed medicine and fast. But medicine was expensive, Victor not able to get anyhow the money in time. If he would kill too much people they would soon sniff him and Jimmy out and Jimmy was not in any condition to travel.

So, in the end, Victor had tried to steal the medicine, after the shop was closed and lights out. He broke in and looked through shelves in lantern's light. He didn't know what medicine to look for though, the boy cursing and in fit of fury punching his fist against a wall. The jitter made the near shelf to jump and one of the bottles dropt. He didn't catch it.  
And didn't get away in time.  
He was already half-out through the basement window when he was suddenly grabbed by feet and dragged back inside.

Now the boy had a chance to help his brother and keep the pharmacist quiet of the breaking in.  
The price however would make the young mutant sick.  
"Now", said the middle aged human man with glasses, sitting on wooden chair while watching the glaring boy in dim lighting that lantern created. "What I can tell about what you told me, I have the medicine. But it's not cheap. And you broke my window."  
"...", the boy kept glaring, feeling knot in his stomach.  
"Well?"  
"...Sorry." the mutant mumbled, fists shaking on his sides. The man, holding a handgun, tilted his head.  
"Speak louder boy, or there's pain to be have!"  
"I'm sorry", Victor said much louder and clearer, staring stubbornly the man right into his eyes.  
"Good", came the overly pleased tone. The hand holding the gun moved, tapping the pipe against the man's thigh, Victor's eyes glancing at the weapon. Gunshots were hell to suffer and he didn't want a bullet again inside his head. Would take days for it to get out. And Jimmy needed him.

"Now I _can_ give you the medicine, to save your... What was his name? You didn't tell me your little brother's name."  
"...Mark."  
"Mark... Pretty manly for a young boy. But I guess we all start from somewhere", the adult chuckled, Victor feeling his claws lengthening. Feeling like a cat in a bag. Something was off, and it was not that gun. He wanted out. Fast. But he needed the medicine.  
"Yes, if you want the medicine to your baby brother, I can give it to you. _If_ you help me in turn."  
The boy was cautious, feeling the knot in stomach getting tighter as the man looked with a crooked, friendly smile. The silence kept lengthening.  
"...How?" the young mutant finally asked.  
The pharmacist raise his gun, making the boy tense up, but then pointed towards rope hanging on the wall.  
"You do _exactly_ as I ask you to. You don't bite, shout, struggle... _Claw_ me, as I tell you to do something for me. After we are ready", the man spread his hand with a warm smile. "I let you go and you can save your little brother's life. Simple as that. After all, I can't just _give_ the medicine away."

Victor swallowed. Feeling sweat forming on his forehead. The man pointed the gun at the boy and rose his left brow sharply.  
...Jimmy needed him. The runt didn't have anyone else. Victor didn't have anyone else. The runt needed his big brother to save him. Damn the price, Victor was gonna save his baby brother no matter what.  
The young mutant moved towards the wall.  
"Good, I want you get your clothes off before putting on the rope."

Victor startled from the sudden memory with a roar that echoed and shook the nearby trees. The anger, that had taken over him and darkened his mind as the need to get the pressing intangible thing out of him had grown to painful level, left him.  
It still lingered but it wasn't enough to keep the shock away after the deeply buried memory had just surfaced in the middle of Sabretooth's animalistic rampage.  
He half groaned and panted on his knees, the only clothe on him shredded around his legs, he staring into the insides of someone he had jumped on in his anger and teared into pieces.  
Now he wished for more, teeth bared and claws digging deeper into the bloody mess as he felt more memories coming up.  
Growling viciously the feral man rose and throw the poor hiker's body to a tree, lunging after it and tearing it more and more.

"Wh- What did you-"  
Young Victor glanced to his little brother who was staring at him in horror. The dying stranger under the feral mutant twitched and let out soft, hideous voices now and then.  
"Jimmy, breath", Victor growled, getting up and reached towards the runt. The boy however flinched when seeing Victor's bloody hand. The older boy glanced and wiped the blood to his clothes, crouching in front of his scared brother.  
"He was going to kill us, Jimmy. So I had to kill him before that. He needed to die."  
"But-" the black haired boy looked back to the body, but Victor grabbed his chin and made Jimmy look only at him.  
"It's kill or be killed. He was a human, you and I are different from them. He would have killed us right away. Jimmy, it had to be done."  
Dark eyes looked into the scared ones, something twisting awfully inside Victor.  
"Jimmy", he growled. "You understand, do you?"  
The younger mutant took a moment but then seemed to accept the situation, nodding to his older brother.  
"Good, now help me drag him away. No-one can see the body."  
As they did it, Victor couldn't shake off the bad feeling of seeing Jimmy so scared, so shaken, by him and his doings. Even when they disposed the body, Victor sensed it.  
He didn't like it.  
Maybe it would go away. Jimmy would grow to understand how this world works. You have to be the strongest to survive, even if it meant doing things that were wrong. It didn't matter, as long as you were the strongest.  
...Jimmy would grow to understand. They were brothers, they didn't have anyone else beside them. They had to stick together.  
  
But in the end... They didn't.

More human like than animalistic shout echoed in the forest.  
Victor kept gasping as he felt his clenched arms breaking from the purely force he used to hit the side of a boulder. With sweat on forehead Victor leaned against the rock, letting its coldness chill his face. His broken arms fixing themselves in a second.  
The moment of pain let him get back behind the wheel and shut that fucking sentimental door back tightly.  
Turning around, sliding against the rock onto ground Victor let his breath calm down, watching the destruction he had made in his rampage. Broken trees, shredded vegetation, thrown large rocks and couple of bodies. Some humans and some kind of animal. A badger, by the smell of it, the body was too mushy to identify.  
The sight of this small destruction somewhat calmed Victor down, he sighing with a half-smile. Better. He felt much better now.  
The smile was however gone as he remembered why he was here in middle of nowhere in the first place.

Scowl settling to his face Sabretooth growled.  
What the hell happened to that woman there? It was just like when she had freaked out about the jacket or when Victor had sneaked into her bed. The frail had issues, but... Seeing the destruction in front of him made the feral chuckle. Like he didn't have a package of his own. Bigger than Anna's.  
But, he had more years behind to deal with that kind of bullshit. The woman was still a cub compared to him, and it was clear the female was new to... Everything, lived her whole life in that shitty cottage and in that shitty village, being the only predator in the territory after her shitty father.  
Of course she would freak out when there was someone stronger than her, showing her she wasn't the baddest around after all.  
Sabretooth had that kind of effect on everyone.  
But now as it was about his mate...  
There was bitter taste in the mutant's mouth. As he thought through the whole happening in the bathroom again, and again, he didn't understand. He should have picked up something to be wrong right away. Should had.  
And the fuck he was giving to her, releasing his whole animalistic onto her, shouldn't have made her freak out like being suddenly attacked by a stranger in a dark alley.  
She should fear from angering him, but also trust him as her mate.  
Rubbing his head with a groan Victor decided to throw the caution out of the window. He had to be more firm with the mate.

* * *

Looking at the two things on both of her hands, Anna was thinking this through with her brows hunching deeply over her light colored eyes.  
She didn't know when the police would come. No-one had come knocking onto the door anymore. They were probably scared. Any human and weak mutant would be scared of the puss.  
She just hoped he would get back before the police.

* * *

Not wanting to give any extra time for the female do any stupid things, the half-naked feral man hurried back to the motel and immediately sensed something was wrong.  
Wasn't just his instincts, he saw the manager peeping through a window when they thought he didn't see.  
...He and Anna had to get away. Now.  
Running to the paid room in the ground floor Victor broke the door down without a key. In there he saw the woman under the blankets.  
"Get up", he commanded while approaching the bed. She didn't move. Feeling something cold and nasty on his back the feral man reached and tore the blanket away, hovering over the laying female. "A-"  
Body first petrifying and then going completely slack the beast man slumped onto the bed, his mind turning into haziness. Being stabbed into your head may have that kind of effect.  
Victor didn't however go unconscious, even if it was a bit hard to understand what he was sensing around him.

* * *

Heart thumping in chest Anna got up and out of the bed after successfully stabbing the predator, him laying on the bed while his knees resting on the floor.  
For a moment the blond haired woman stood next to the bed and the feral. She hadn't been sure would the plan work but she had done it. Now, she wanted to take the knife with her, but as she watched Victor clumsily swaying his hand towards the plunged weapon, Anna rethought.

In a bit big but comfortable clothes Anna turned and started limping towards the open front door.  
She had hoped the car wouldn't be far away, but it was still bit of pain to get to it. Clicking the car keys, that Victor's jacket on the floor had contained, Anna opened the driver's door and hopped in.  
A confession: Anna had limited knowledge about driving a car. She was more of a running type.  
But, thanks to Joseph, she did get the car started and clumsily turning the wheel she backed up and drove fast away from the motel, just taking one of the direction at the highway.  
Taking a deep breath and then letting it out Anna tried to remember what else the old man had taught her about driving cars.  
Thank god this low red car was manual.

* * *

After many attempts the feral predator finally got a hold onto the knife that the reckless bitch had thrust into his brains.  
Giving for it a yank it took only couple of blinks and Victor was fully recovered. Pushing himself up with one arm he looked down at the weapon in his other hand while dark, furious look deepened on his face.  
A thunderous, pissed off sound pierced the air and made everyone shook in fear in any hole or corner they had tugged themselves in nearby.  
Impulse of wanting to throw the knife away came but Sabretooth decided against it. He was going to give it back to the bitch. He had to teach her some rules as it was clear she needed them.

Still half-naked with ripped pants the feral beast marched outside, folded knife in his on hand and looked at the direction he tracked the woman driven to.  
But then Sabretooth smelled something, that didn't make him right now happier. He actually didn't have time for this, _him_ , now.  
Though Victor knew his little brother better.  
  
He glanced to the other direction at the highway, seeing someone on motorcycle driving with full speed towards him.


	27. Deer crossing

As the leather jacket wearing, rugged looking motorcyclist kept speeding towards, Sabretooth glanced to the other direction of the road.  
Didn't have time for this, the mate was getting a head start...  
But this was his baby brother after all, so guess victor had to make same time for the runt.

Huffing, stretching his stiff neck, the feral beast mutant got ready for the brawl. Throwing the folded knife to side.

Standing there the older feral waited patiently for the younger one. Seemed that the runt was really pissed off, abandoning his bike like that suddenly:  
jumping off of it and letting the nice looking bike getting all messed up as it first drove and then rolled towards in full speed against concrete. Jumping over the sliding vehicle Victor lunged onto all fours to meet the charging Wolverine.  
Their claws were full out as they crashed against each other, sinking their weapons into other's body in a heartfelt embrace.

"Hello little brother..."  
"Where is she?"  
"Who?"  
Diverging with viciousness as they yanked claws out form each other the ferals glared.  
"Where is she?!" Logan demanded with anger and fear towards the female's safety. Spitting out blood Sabretooth felt spike of anger. And jealousy.  
Feeling something sharp and misshapen in himself wrapping around his heart as he looked at the shorter, younger feral who would have died as a weak runt.  
"Ah", Victor said with widening smile, like just remembering who Jimmy was talking about. " _That_ frail of yours. What number is this one now?"  
"Answer!"  
Satisfaction.  
"You just never learn..."  
How many frails has Jimmy lost by now? And not even all of them because of big bad Sabretooth? It was really pathetic, Victor had raised him better than that.  
Leaning forward Sabretooth pulled on the most malicious grin he could.  
"Do you know, what Anna even tastes like?"  
A quick moment the furious face of Wolverine turned into heart stopping dread.  
Licking his canines lazily Sabretooth answered with a low voice.  
"Like spicy cherry."

Wolverine lost it. Charging again with his adamantium claws, slashing and moving with more aggressiveness and animalistic flow in his movements now. Stabbing and cutting with pure want to kill. To rip apart his nemesis.  
And with excitement Sabretooth also didn't hold back at all. Didn't need to, because Jimmy can take anything he would throw at him.

The two long-standing and powerful feral mutants clashed against each other. Stabbing deep and piercing other's skin, flesh and organs. Grabbed onto one another and threw around, smashing against anything. Making the traffic on the road halt completely as people tried to turn around and drive away from the mutant fight.  
Holding his ripped out intestines Victor was kicked out of the road and into the surrounding forest.  
There he in turn grabbed Logan's neck and smashed the black haired mutant's head into a tree. Again and again with brutal force.  
Digging his claws into Wolverine's back Sabretooth gripped onto the shorter mutant's metal covered backbone, yanking it with a smile.  
Yelling and bending his arm Logan thrust his claws into beast man's groin. Hearing the painful whimper behind him.  
And when getting free from the grip the younger feral turned and kicked the hurt one backwards to another tree. The trunk bent from the impact.  
Snarling Victor got up and lunged.

Ripping each other into parts, smashing one another against rocks and trees, roars and snarls echoing in the forest the two ferals threw angry challenges to each other as they fought like pure animals.  
The brawl continued long enough that the police car arrived to the motel and there called back ups when hearing what they were dealing with, seeing the destruction the mutants had done at the roadway and its surroundings.

Smashing a tree that Sabretooth had ripped from the ground he broke it down onto the runt, letting go of it and halted for a moment to hear the police cars at the motel.  
Shit.  
Jaw clenching and fingers twitching Victor looked at the motel's direction.  
Logan in other hand used his claws to get from under the tree trunk, cutting it into pieces, and getting up growled at Sabretooth who answered right back.  
"What... Did you do to her?" the shorter feral demanded yet again, walking towards the bigger one with his claws ready.  
"Just forget her", Victor snarled, thinking the situation.  
Needed to get back. He would find his mate even after a month, but he didn't want to give her any more time to get space between them. Would just get herself into more trouble. And there was some stuff at the motel-  
"Victor!"  
Snapping his attention to Jimmy the feral man stared at his little brother.

Halting Logan thought what Sabretooth could have done to Anna. Anything he came up was just painful. She was a fighter, but she couldn't fight back Sabretooth... She didn't deserve whatever the bastard had done to her.  
Logan wished he wouldn't have been too late when he saw the news while traveling at the area and seeing Victor's doings in the village. It all had seemed to close to another, the beast attack and Anna living there, that Logan hadn't believed into pure coincidence.  
Not at all.

The two feral brothers stood there and watched at each other in moment of silence. Covered in blood and dirt, just like the snowy ground on there where they had rumbled, their clothes ruined. Many deadly wounds inflicted on each other were already completely healed. Just hate towards each other.  
...Though, no, not completely.  
There was a string, small and so faint, that connected the two. But however, it wasn't enough to break the years of division they have suffered.  
And so, as Victor turned away from the motel's direction and towards the charging Logan...  
A weak emotion of sorrow passed in both of theirs hearts, before the heat of battle and rage of other's unfairness washed over it.

* * *

Driving still fast Anna densely glanced at the rear mirror. Still didn't see anything hinting that Victor was following or gaining at her.  
She wouldn't take the chance and so the woman didn't slow down, sharply turning the wheel as she passed another car.  
Don't know how long the knife in a brain would keep the feral out, if even snapping his neck wouldn't keep him out cold for long.

The blondie quickly looked around the car, for anything in there. Not much, felt like new or well kept at least. A rental car maybe?  
Better ditch this vehicle as soon as possible. Maybe at some store or bar, where Anna would steal another ride.  
Just needed to get away as far as possible.  
Ears twitching, gripping tightly onto the wheel Anna tried to keep calm.  
The memory of the fit at the shower kept ghosting in the back of her mind. It had been so fucked up. What had he done to her? It was like she wanted to fuck so badly it didn't matter did she really want it or not. Was that some kind of power of his?  
Swallowing, feeling nipping at the bottom of her stomach Anna tried to calm down and concentrate to the road. It didn't feel slippery from ice. Maybe she should still slow down?  
Moving her feet and grabbing onto the stick the feral female changed the speed.  
Pushing the uncomfortable feeling and the memory to aside Anna took a deep breath. Her leg was really hurting again. Should have taken some painkillers from the room when escaping.

A sudden light brown mass appeared on the middle of the road.  
Stepping on the brake Anna instinctively tried to dodge the thing but with no luck. The car turned too sharply, and the side of it hit the creature. The car turned and violently rolled down the road before it halted against metal barrier.  
Passing cars stopped, people stepping out to see what had happened as the crashed car laid there and nothing moved inside of it.  
The deer, that had jumped in front of the vehicle, laid dead on the road.


	28. Limbo

It was a frail cub. So tiny, fitting to both of his large palms at the same time while he hold the small, unmoving and not breathing thing.  
Sniffing with his blunt nose, his pointy ears perking to listen for anything, the large beast mutant sat on the wooden floor and examined the little thing carefully.  
Small eyes not seeing the newborn's clenched fists moving nor small chest rising.  
Sneering the man growled deep in his throat, holding back from wrapping his fingers with sharp talons around the baby.  
What had he done wrong this time?  
He hadn't break the mate. Hadn't starved them or unkempt them. Hadn't even clawed them. He hadn't rushed the birth. Hadn't been rough when cleaning the cub. Hadn't crushed it accidentally.  
So why wasn't this one moving?  
"What did you do to it?" the man growled, slowly moving his gaze to his mate on the bed. The female was a strong frail. Had given birth to three, healthy and strong cubs with her other mate already. That's why the mutant had chosen her to be his mate.  
So why was this cub, his cub, dead?

"I... told you", the woman, exhausted from the childbirth and covered by sweat and blood, snarled back. "Should have gone... To the... Hospital... Idiot."  
Usually the sharp tongue of this one amused the mutant male, but now it just angered him even more. He put the dead baby onto the floor and started stalking the bed and its bound occupant.  
The thick, long fur growing from his forehead to the middle of his back started rising like the voice in his throat.  
"I fed you, I cleaned you, fucked you and you give me a dead cub!?"  
"You kidnapped and raped me you fucking psychopath!" the female screamed, hands rattling the shackles. "I didn't want _anything_ of this you crazy asshole! I told you-"  
A booming roar shook the walls as the large animal like man gripped on the bed's bloody sheets.  
"Don't talk back  _mate_ ", the mutant growled, talons clawing the ruined sheets. "If you don't give me a cub, _alive one_ , then-"

A small, faint whimper halted everything.  
The twisted face of anger melted to disbelief as the man turned around.  
Even the woman kept still and tried to listen.  
There was another whimper, before baby's wailing started from the little naked body on the cold floor. It's chubby legs and clenched fists moving.

He let out a short laugh, turning and hurrying to gather the little thing against his fur covered chest, smelling the cub and listening and watching it.  
Feeling the warmth surrounding it, the baby settled down, but the feral could hear its breathing and could see its chest rising evenly.  
Chuckling silently, relief washing over, the beast man sat down onto the wooden floor and looked at the little cub of his.  
A little fighter she was. Even after looking dead, the little frail had fought back to life.  
His little fighting cub...

"...I wanna see her", the woman with long blond hair said quietly, wanting to see her baby.  
Seeing that the girl hadn't inherited nothing else from the father than just a skin color and seeing her sleeping happily, the human female smiled with tears on her eyes.  
And, seeing the big freak treating the baby so gently, with that small smile on his monster face...  
Swallowing the woman pushed the soft feeling away. Though a thought of leaving the baby behind pained her.  
But she had her own children. And a husband.  
Has it already been a year...?  
How much had the kids grown now? Where they safe and good? How was Aron? Was he still looking for her? Did he remember that Jessica needed to have new clothes for the school trip, or that Matthew had appointment to the dentist or that-  
"...Ray?" the woman said as cautiously as she could, softly and looking at the monster who kept staring at the baby. He huffed in response.  
Maybe that was a good thing, that the baby had stolen his attention mostly.  
"Will you now... Let me... Go... Please?" the woman asked, swallowing nervously. The freak squinted his small eyes and looked at her.  
She still tried.  
"You have the cub now. Alive one. And I have my own cubs, they need their mother. Ray? Please, let me go."

The mutant showed his teeth, nostrils widening.  
"And leave this cub of yours? Leave your mate and your cub?"  
Feeling like loosing this battle, the same freaking battle that she had tried to fight so many times, the woman cried out.  
"Please! I promise, I _promise_ , I'll come to see the cub and you! But my other cubs need me too! I beg of you!"  
"No", the mutant growled while starting to walk to the room's door. "You need to calm down mate."  
"RAY!"  
"I'll come cleaning you, after you are calm."  
Closing the door, hearing through it the desperate, angry screaming, the man looked down at the baby which moved a little on his embrace before settling back down.  
Smiling widely the man leaned down and nudged the cub's bald head with his nose.  
Giving a tender lick made the frail to whimper.  
The beast man chuckled, swallowed and felt his heart trying to settle back as he walked down the stairs to the living room where the fireplace was on.  
"Don't worry..." the mutant growled silently. "I'll keep you safe and alive. Even if your mama doesn't."  
Settling in front of the fireplace onto the floor the beast man raised one of his talons. And hesitating for a moment, petted the small cub's head with the back of his claw.  
"My little cub..."

It's a bit hard to breath for Anna. There's a weird feeling all over her body, like constant pressure. It's worse on her chest. And head. And left shoulder. Everywhere, really.  
It takes a moment through hazy mind for her to recognize its pain what she's feeling. It gets from numb to actual pain in waves. The blinding lights that flicker over her now and then don't help. Or that she hears like she's under water.  
Moving her gaze under fluttering eyelids she sees people around her, unknown people, with whiteness over them and they are moving her fast to somewhere.  
The more she gathers information of her surroundings the more she becomes afraid for not recognizing anything.  
She feels the fear taking over, paralyzing her body completely as she tries to breath. The animal side inside her is in panic. She can't run, she can't move at all. She's laying flat and she don't know anything around her. What happened?  
She remembers reacting to something on the road.  
"She's starting to go into shock."  
"We need to-"  
Closing her eyes Anna feels tears pushing from under her eyes.  
She coughs, as the first thing that comes into mind, is Victor. Fucking bastard can't leave her even in time like this.  
But even his presence and that stupid smirk would be enough to give her some reassuring that things... Will be okay. In some way. That there's something familiar.  
Anything, anyone really... But even he would be enough.  
The mind starts to get too foggy, Anna letting go for now and trying to settle onto something that takes her mind from the unknown situation.

* * *

As Logan comes back from the limbo, between death and life before the last one, like always, wins, he wakes up in a darkness. Feeling something covering him like a thin blanket. It rustles like plastic as he moves. He's in a small space.  
Morgue.  
Moving around a bit the short mutant starts kicking with his bear feet and forces the hatch open. Crawling out as fast as he can he leans against the metal wall which has other hatches, more dead bodies inside them. The cold, large room is empty from any other person so Logan takes his time to settle. Remembering the last thing to be Sabretooth raising his foot over him.  
Snarling with bared teeth the feral man moves towards the coat rack. Hearing a sound coming from his feet he glances down, seeing a tag wrapped around his right big toe.  
Ripping it off he takes one of the lab coats.  
  
Need to get his phone back, probably in this place where they conserve deceased's belongings. Logan thinks of the situation.  
The bastard didn't say anything about Anna, of her current well-being. If he did kill her, he would have shown it or teased with it Logan.  
So he still has her. Or maybe had.  
Frowning the feral man walks to the room's door and opens it into a hallway.  
Had to get his stuff back, get some clothes, get back to the motel and get information. If Sabretooth still had Anna, alive, Logan was going to save her.

* * *

Now fully clothed in his regular clothes, with a stolen car, Victor arrives at the road to a spot where seemed to have happened an accident. He recognizes the ruined car on side of the road.  
Pulling to aside he steps out and walks fast to the vehicle that is covered by yellow tape. Looking inside, but not seeing a body in there, he does smell blood however. Anna's blood. And seeing the bent insides of the car makes him uncomfortable. His claws lengthens and scratches the bent metal that his grip crushes more.  
Stupid, fucking idiot, frail...

Straightening back up Sabretooth glances around, cars passing now and then.  
Picking up a cellphone he starts to research for the nearest hospital.


	29. Hidden fears

It's a long time to live over several decades. A lot of things can happen in that time.  
A lot of changes happening in humanity, trends, economy, environments, causes, countries, people...  
Horrible and laughable fashion styles.  
Free the slaves or stuff people into concentration camps. Start a war for whatever reason you can come up with whoever you want with.  
Decide whenever it's okay to marry a ten years old and when it isn't. Pay with animal skins then pay with piece of paper. Go by sea and go by flying to another country. Plastic furniture over wooden ones.  
Killed by canon or killed by tank.  
The changes being good, bad or just changes. For most of them, Victor doesn't really care for.  
  
He's a simple man, actually. Born in the time when females and males had clear places in their lives, horses were the main transportation, when getting into different country was either by fast train or slow boat. People were simple. Things and life were simple.  
Simple to get away if something got wrong. Simple to just ditch people, in more ways than one.  
...Victor's dad also was a simple man. Getting money for the family by farming and keeping a cattle. He was, Victor guessed, a simple man who believed in hard, honest work.  
And into God.  
And that his dear son was a spawn of Satan, who needed to be purged by pulling his fucking teeth and claws out. And nothing to numb the pain because pain is God's love or some shit he used to say.  
  
The way their kind is called has changed too. Before they were demons and witches, now they were called mutants. But still hunted down, with all the time developing weapons instead of fire and pitchforks. It never changes though, the hunting.  
Just the ways of it.  
Victor has killed and been killed in many various ways that human mind just can come up with and boy can it be creative.  
If something humans are good at, it is finding a way to kill more effectively what ever they see as a vermin shitting on their window.  
They still hadn't found a way to kill him and his brother though, permanently.  
And Sabretooth is always ready to prove them wrong again when ever they think they've come up with something.  
Just let them come and see. Not the first nor the last time, he can be sure about that.

Is there even a way to kill him and Jimmy? It sure doesn't seem to be the time, they hadn't physically changed from the civil war time, and if that doesn't work then what? Time works on everyone and everything else.  
In a decade, and even more in decades, there has been a lot of different persons. Them ending up into dirt early or later on eventually. Powerful and weak ones. Plain and colorful ones. With skills of different kinds. Different stories and motives. Different opinions.  
Most of them are not worth of remembering and those Victor just forgets. They just become flies who buzzed around for a moment.  
But then there's those who Victor does remember.  
Funny enough, most of these people are the ones he had killed by himself. Real challenges or a funny way they passed.  
Then some he didn't kill.  
Like the first feral in the civil war, a funny one. Had almost always a smile on their face. Can't remember what they looked like though, but they kept smiling, liked to be with him and Jimmy. One of those who was the worth of spend time with, who wouldn't just die away.  
Victor never understood why Jimmy ever bothered to get to know to other soldiers in different wars, they would just all die. In a field most likely. And then Jimmy would get all sad when they didn't survive and Victor would get irritated for little brother being so stupid.  
They were different, they don't die, everyone else does.  
They don't change, the others will.  
What does Jimmy except to get by staying with those X-men pusses? In couple of decades they all will be just gone and he will be the only one around, and still be the same.  
And he will of course be all stupidly cynical and lonely all over again until the next ones come.  
Are they worth it? What he gets from them? Acting like he's the same as them?  
What did he thought he would have gotten from that Silverfox bitch he used fuck, before all the things with Stryker?  
Because Victor doesn't damn get it as he tries to, while sitting in a hospital room, looking at Anna.

The frail had escaped from him and right after that gotten herself stupidly into a car accident. Now she's laying on the plain bed, still sleeping after the surgeon.  
Ribs busted, shoulder dislocated, internal bleeding, head trauma and that leg of hers not much better.  
...But she'll live.  
Doctor said it she is lucky, her body most likely getting back its full function with time and rehabilitation. Lucky. She'll live.  
And yet Victor can just stare angrily at the sleeping female as he sits next to the bed. Feeling all annoyed and enraged inside, clawing his own back of palms and gnawing his lower lip.  
She's not worth of it. She'll die. Just like everyone and everything else. Not now, but later. By something or someone. And as she does, nothing matters, everything keeps changing. Going forward.  
She doesn't even wanna be with him. She's a fucking mess, he's a mess, the whole mate thing would be just a big fucking mess to them. All of it. Everything.  
Fuck it.  
And yet, Victor knows if he tries to leave, it will be just as annoying as staying. His instincts would drive him crazy. Even now just a thought of getting up and leaving for good was getting him madder to himself. Maybe this was just like being a drug addict? When you stop from using, it will be hell of time for awhile but when you reach that certain line, it'll leave you. You don't crave for it anymore.  
He could try it. He could pay them to keep taking care of her and she would go nowhere in this condition of hers. He could stay in one of his isolated hideouts. Wouldn't get into trouble.  
He could.  
Vibrating, dark growl rose from his throat. No wonder he hadn't before tried to act against his nature, it was pain in the ass. Like being pulled into two different ways.  
But this was some bullshit his animal side was trying to pull out now.  
"Should have just killed you", Victor mumbled, looking at the female who had large, deep, almost black, bruises all over her body. Stitches here and there. Bandages covering the half of her face and her right arm and hand. Supports keeping her shoulder in place. Breathing mask on her face.  
Shouldn't have started playing with your food, just killed and eat it.

When his mate opens her eyes, the feral man pauses. There's a drugged look in her eyes, gaze wandering and eyelids fluttering. There's tears too.  
A muffled, small and frightened sound.  
Swallowing, biting his teeth because of the tug in his heart, despite of everything, Victor gets up. And reaches out his a bit bloody right hand to pet the blond, short hair of hers. The heart monitor beeps faster until Victor starts to purr strongly, the heart rate getting back to normal. Her eyes closes as a thumb with long talon lightly strokes the pace between her eyes.  
Inhaling deeply through his nose and letting out Victor feels his angry, tangled feelings to settle some.

And without any warning couple of memories inflicts him as they come from nowhere.  
She's has a strong will to act, even though it makes her to do stupid things. Like that knife into his back when he was letting her go.  
Surprisingly soft and want for closeness when she pulled him into her bed.  
The way her light brown eyes smile and twinkle as she played with him that silly drinking game.  
And she was not a bad fuck. Like handling fire that would warm you and burn you, if you didn't handle it in a right way.  
There was good things in her. She was... Exciting. Victor could see why his animal side felt her to be a potential mate.  
But he couldn't stop seeing all the flaws of having a mate, having Anna, even though he had decided twice now to keep her.  
Though what would happen to her if he wouldn't take her? Nothing that came into his mind wasn't pleasing in any way.  
His. This one was his even if he didn't want it for now.  
He didn't give up on what was his, was it a prey, a toy, a family or a mate.  
Huffing the feral male dropped back to his chair, it creaking under his large frame.

He needed to move his mate to another hospital. Logan would surely come after her when he would wake up from his little nap.  
Eyes squinted, one claw tapping against chair's metal structure, the beast man plans as his mate sleeps.

* * *

Usually medicines keep dreams away, but guess some dreams can't be parried.  
It wasn't that nightmares scares Anna. She is usually very aware she's in a dream that's a twisted illusion of memories, feelings, thoughts and imagination. She knows as soon as she wakes up, she's alright and all that happened in her head is just in her head. So no, they aren't scary. Just... Annoying. Mostly.  
...It's just her animal side that makes her to fear for what her mind makes her to face. She feeling the strong want to flee and keep on running. Just running.  
And in dreams she can't help her instincts taking over, turning her into the prey she was born to be. Scared and weak, no control of anything.  
All alone.  
Surrounded by everyone she has known. Sarah, Gary, the victims, Joseph, father and mother... Logan... Victor...  
She can't break the circle around her, she can just keep turning and everywhere she looks they just stare and spit on her. Blame her. Shout and whisper to her. Scared of her. Angry at her. Naming her. Pulling to the surface everything she sees ugly, broken and wrong in her.  
Making her face everything she has done to everybody. When she didn't do what should have done and what she did to hurt others.  
Making her feel that she's not strong. She's was never right. She was never wanted, she never had anything or anyone to keep. No-one never asked for her to be.  
Nothing was never hers.  
She's just a pitiful prey who used everyone to make herself to feel something she never was. No-one would like her for what she was.  
So why keep surviving?  
Nothing will ever change for her. She will never have anything for herself. She will never be able to feel the safety and love she ones felt.  
Just... Stop surviving.  
It's all gone anyway, everyone. Nothing is there and it is because of you.

Anna is not wholly awake when she opens her eyes. Even smallest light is painful to look at and blinds her.  
She feels weird. Nothing feels familiar. There's something strange on her face, it feels uncomfortable. Her body feels odd, heavy and stiff. The thing she's laying on is hard and unfamiliar. She doesn't know where she is.  
She tries to swallow but it's hard. Everything is fuzzy.  
She's scared.

A warm, large thing lays on her forehead. It feels like a hand, its movement and feel like it.  
There's also... Purring. Its soft and booming, feeling in a strange way.  
Just these gestures, the stroking and purring, is enough. Calming. The hand feels familiar, warm and comforting as the purring relaxes Anna's mind as she listens to it.  
This makes her feel like, there's someone who in someway cares for her. And there's no describing how much it helps her, giving Anna the moment of peace to calm down and fell back to sleep.  
And there's no dreams.


	30. Lack of trust as well as confidence

”Are you sure that this is what you want?”  
“Yeah. Take all of it”, Anna answered carelessly to a shaver holding nurse. The feral female felt like an idiot with a large, bald spot among her blond hair. It would be better to take all of it; it was getting too long for her liking anyway. So, she had asked the nurse, who checked up her daily for at least three times per day, to shave off the rest.  
  
While sitting on a wheelchair, the buzzing filling the silence, short blond locks falling around her scarred face, Anna’s gaze wandered.  
She had been confused when regaining her consciousness, waking up in a complete unfamiliar place.  
The white and otherwise dull colored single room she had woken up in, on a comfortable bed with tubes and wires coming out of her, a breathing mask over her mouth, had freaked her out. While struggling to take the things off from her, people in white coats had rushed in to stop the woman.  
They said she was in a private hospital, in Canada. She had been in a car accident and then rushed into another hospital, but her husband had signed up the papers to transport her into here.  
A husband?!  
That maybe was even more shocking than the strange place and the strange people. She had strongly been against this and said loud and clearly that she was not married. Not to someone named Victor… Bouchard…  
The doctors and nurses thought she was still confused or having amnesia.  
Anna was fuming and worried, deciding not to say anything else to these people.  
Married… To him… What a sick joke. Couldn’t he just say he was… Cousin, brother or father of hers? Whatever, the puss didn’t come during that day. Or the day after that. Soon it had been a week since Anna had woken up.  
And she was bored. Oh so bored.  
  
The hospital was fancy looking, judging by the furniture’s style and how comfortable her bed was, that she kinda had a personal nurse, and the food was not as crappy as she had heard. Anna could watch TV in her room but she really had never been a TV person. She could leave her private room on a wheelchair with a nurse, roll around the big building. Go outside for a while but it was the winter days and so were very cold.  
All in all, there was not much to do for her, especially with injured leg and body. She was feeling restless. She wanted to move. She wanted to run. Stand on her own two feet and not being shadowed by a nurse all the time. She couldn’t go anywhere else. The things she could do on her own where so limited. She felt all the time like she was in someone else’s territory and so she couldn’t really sleep or relax without the medicine that the nurses were giving her.  
Anna was a bit distressed too.  
  
But… The time she had now, being by herself either physically or mentally, she had time to think. Understand her situation which seemed to be that, she was in the hands of a predator feral, Victor. He still hadn’t shown up but Anna was sure he would come. Just like when he the first time he had just disappeared.  
He wouldn’t had named himself as her husband, or said he wanted to keep her, only to just abandon her into a private hospital and seemingly going to pay the bill.  
At first Anna had waited the puss’ arriving anxiously. Thinking how she could escape from him. How he would oppress her into being his mate.  
But now as a week had gone, Victor’s visit would be welcomed.  
She was bored. She wanted something familiar. She wanted something to happen instead of this dull time she was forced into while healing.  
  
“All done.”  
Halting back to the present Anna took the offered mirror and took a look at herself.  
Well, now she was pretty much bald. She could see now clearly the stitches, going from her left temple to the back of her head. The bruises covering her face were no more swollen, but still black. Her whole right arm was still covered by bandages and she had this thing supporting to keep it and her right shoulder in a right angle.  
She had some uncomfortable pressure now and then when breathing or moving her upper body in a wrong way.  
Her leg that already was injured before the accident was completely casted.  
  
“Thanks”, the female said and gave the mirror back.  
  
The nurse started to clean her from the fallen hair. Anna wanted to snap, she didn’t need some stranger to clean her.  
But whatever drug they were giving her, she didn’t have the will to get angry and act. She actually couldn’t really feel much. Mostly… Boredom? No. Numbness. That’s it. And a bit of vagueness.  
Sighing heavily the female closed her eyes.

* * *

Victor had been informed at the same day as Anna had woken up in the private hospital which he had checked her into. He had wanted, his instincts had needed him, to go to see her.  
But no. He had refused himself.  
It was purely his own stubbornness and male pride, but he didn’t see it that way.  
He wasn’t needy for the female. Or so he wanted to believe, feeling irritated by the worried feelings towards her. But, knowing where she was, that she was okay and he could go there anytime to see her, decreased notably his nervousness compared to when she still had been unconscious.  
He could imagine, didn’t help his worries, of what was running inside her head: confuse, fear, anger… Maybe she wondered a bit where he was. At least he liked to think she was wondering.  
After all, she didn’t have anyone else besides him. She didn’t have anything else than to stay with him.  
Even if Logan tried to find her, he couldn’t as she was in completely different area in Canada in a private hospital with a fake ID.  
Sabretooth’s mate was in good safe and he was not gonna hurry to see her.  
After all that she had done to him, she had earned to wait for him a bit. For being such a trouble.  
  
Giving her a half of month Victor finally let himself take a direction to her.  
He tried to ignore the lightness that filled him as he came closer and closer to the hospital. When he drove the car into parking lot, stepping out in a dark suit. After all, Victor Bouchard was one of the big shareholders of the hospital, he needed to keep up his alias. Not to make an impression on his mate.

He could had just followed Anna’s scent. It was all around the hospital, she had moved a lot despite the condition she was in. A sense of amusement towards her stubbornness for not staying still made the feral male smile, as he followed a nurse to his mate’s private room.  
A thought of bringing something did cross his mind. Victor hardly contained his snarl.

Even if he was agreeing with his beast side to keep this one, it didn’t mean he didn’t find some of the odd needs and sudden whims nauseous. Like getting something to her. Like what, another knife that she could stab him with?  
She didn’t deserve any gifts.

The nurse came with him in to check on Anna.  
The feral male didn’t immediately approach the female on bed, observing her from a distance. She didn’t have a short blond hair anymore. Why the fuck did she have a buzz cut like some sick person or a lab rat? She didn’t even seem to notice him, instead she just looked at the talking nurse with bored expression.  
Maybe he should had kept her waiting more than just a half month…  
  
“---leave you and your husband alone”, the nurse said with a knowing smile to both of them, before leaving.  
Husband. Yeah, she was his. His mate. Wanted it or not.  
Finally the woman looked at him.  
A moment went as they stared at each other. Then another. Raising a brow Victor kept looking at the bruised and bandaged female.  
And before he finally said anything, she asked bluntly, leaning against raised bed’s end and pillows.  
“What’s with the clothes?”  
Looking down at his suit, black shoes and dark blue tie Sabretooth raised his questioning gaze back to her.  
“You look like a corporation villain”, she explained.  
Victor huffed. Wasn’t like he was trying to impress her or anything, he just needed to look like this for his alias. And he usually didn’t wear these kind of clothes, too stiff and heavy.  
Grabbing onto his tie he loosened it, walking towards his mate.  
Taking a chair under him he sat next to the bed.  
  
“What’s with the bald look?” he asked, relaxing in his chair.  
“Looked ridiculous with only one bald spot”, she answered, yawned. Victor squinted. She was way calmer than he had excepted her to be.  
“The buzz cut looks just as ridiculous”, he throw at her. She shrugs her non-injured shoulder.  
“Suit yourself.”  
A small smirk formed onto her mouth before she yawned again.  
“You’re sleepy?”  
“Heh, all the time. I think they feed me some drug. After all, I did raise a hell when I woke up. And after they said I was married”, lazily she glared at him.  
“Being a mate is kinda that”, Victor boldly said. It did get out of her a bit stronger reaction. But not challenging. She looked at him cautiously and seemed to tense. He decided to keep pushing.  
“It’s not normal to me either, but like I said, I want to keep you. You have no saying into it.”  
“Then fuck off or kill me”, she said calmly.  
Memory of her almost shooting herself or biting her tongue off came to him. Barely keeping himself from trashing Sabretooth bared his teeth and growled silently. Should he order strict security onto her? Bindings and a gag? That would keep her from hurting herself.  
“Neither will happen, bambi.”  
  
It surprised him how she quickly lost the sparking anger of hers and then tiredness covered her features.  
He would say to the doctors to keep away whatever shit they were giving her. Sabretooth didn’t like the look she was giving him.  
“Why?” she whispered.

The simple question infuriated Sabretooth. Made him uncomfortably aching, especially how she looked at him like he was hurting her. He wouldn’t if she won’t hurt him.  
  
And... He had saved her from those shitty people, took care of her, get to the best hospital in this shitty wasteland country and yet she still acted like he was the biggest, baddest bastard who was scaring and hurting her. His mate.  
  
Raising up with bared teeth and strained shoulders, cold spite covering his face, Sabretooth leaned towards the female. The broken, sad expression of hers didn’t ease his irritation at all, only increasing it, Victor’s chest and throat vibrating from a bass sound of his.  
Placing his hands with extended claws against the mattress he kept leaning towards her with angered hurt inside.  
And then closing his eyes Victor pushed a bit forcefully his forehead against Anna’s before realizing it. Noticing that it was purring that was raising from deep of him, and not growling.  
Eyes still closed he just decided to trust his animal side in this. He didn’t want to see his mate in pain, in sorrow, and especially because of him.  
He didn’t want her to fear or hate him and continuously try to get away from him in any way she could think of.  
  
Victor really just wanted Anna to accept this mate thing. Didn’t she see him as a mate for her? Didn’t feel the need like he did? Even after all that he had done to her?  
Not the negative things, though Sabretooth had just hurt her because she had acted difficultly. But he had returned to her, saved and cared of her. What else would she need from him?  
He could feel her slightly trembling through the connection, hear her swallowing down the tears of hers.  
The feral predator tried to purr louder but then the sound died in his throat.  
He was hesitating. Felt not to bother if she would only keep turning him down. A knife into head should be enough a clear message. But the feral had his pride. And craving.  
He was not gonna puss out now. Not again.  
Opening his eyes Victor searched for his voice to purr, looking at the closed eyes of Anna.  
He didn’t know how to open them to see him. Or he did, a one way, but that way always made everyone see him as the monster that he was. Victor wanted Anna to see him now as someone who- Who would protect and care for what was his. But how the hell could he do that, he had no idea.  
  
A thought of promising came in Sabretooth’s mind. That he would not do the things that Anna’s father did to her mother and her. But Victor could not make those kinds of promises.  
He was an animal, a monster, he didn’t shy away from violence with anyone. He couldn’t promise to Anna he wouldn’t hurt her in anyway.  
“Why me?” the prey female asked with shaky voice thought trembling lips. “Why… Why can’t you just kill me? It was what we promised.”  
The woman opened her eyes and tears spilled out of them. Victor hold straight face but felt things twisting inside him, his purring completely stopped.  
  
Letting out a frustrated growl Victor retreated back into his chair, not looking at the woman anymore. He didn’t know what to say or do here. What would calm her and convince her? He didn’t have nothing, really. He was Sabretooth.  
  
The mutant man rose from the chair and started heading to the door. Feeling the room getting a bit too small and Anna’s state a bit too uncomfortable to handle.  
Maybe couple of days and the drugs would wear off from her. Make her less… That.  
  
Leaving the room the distressed feral did not see the pleading look of his mate, she not able to bring her to ask him to stay or when would he come back. Cursing the woman cried silently and felt embarrassed by her stupidity, feeling like she had done something stupid by loosing control of herself.  
Didn’t make sense.

  
She didn't want him to go away.  
He didn’t want to leave her.  
But she couldn't trust him.  
And he couldn't find what she could trust in him.


	31. Something precious

After two days Victor came back, sure that the doctors had stopped giving the medicine and it had worn off from Anna. That she wouldn’t start crying or getting all cynical with him.  
  
Stepping inside the room he was immediately greeted by the woman’s quick glance, before she turned it back to her lap. Approaching, wearing the same suit as last time, the feral male curiously looked what she had there.  
A one of those ring-and-rope puzzles. Those brain teasers, that seemed all impossible to many: get a ring to other side or out of the rope without breaking the thing.

Smirking the feral male took a seat next to the bed, watching.  
“Hey”, Anna mumbled, concentrated and pulling the rope before trying to move the ring. Seemed a bit difficult with only one arm.  
“Hi… Where did you get that?”  
“Stole from the activity room. Seemed something to waste time into.”  
“Oh”, the still slightly grinning feral said, relaxing in his chair. “How long have you been at it?”  
A pause. She reversed what she had been doing with the thing, looking in a deep thought at it.  
“For five hours, maybe”, she finally answered. He huffed and she glared.  
“Like you could solve this one more quickly.”  
“I could, actually.”  
Finally giving all her attention to him, she squinted her eyes.  
“Sure, you have been around so long that you probably know how to solve the stupid cube thingy too.”  
“You mean Rubik's cube? Yeah, it’s easy too.”  
“Because you know how to solve it.”  
“What are you trying to say?”  
“That by knowing the solution, you actually don’t have to use your wits.”  
  
Leaning forward in his chair, arms resting at his knees and hands together he drops the smile.  
“Now, that’s not true. are you calling me stupid?”  
“Maybe.”  
The two ferals stare each other challengingly.  
“Then how about riddles?” he suggests. “There’s always new ones, that I haven’t heard.”  
Mulling the proposition Anna turns back to moving the ropes and the ring.  
“…If you win two times, I’ll show you how it’s done.”  
“No, I do this by myself”, she says stubbornly. Like a damn kid. He doesn’t give up thought.  
“Fine. I win two times, and I’ll solve that thing.”  
“And what if I win?” she looks to him with a bit of interest. Thinking of it for a moment, hesitating, but finally he says: “What would you want?”  
He half waited her to say that one thing. He would of course not give it to her.  
  
“You’ll teach me to be a mercenary.”  
  
…That was not what he had expected, not at all. Sabretooth stared at the bambi, purely dumbfound, she giggling to his open expression. Raised brows lowered over his dark eyes.  
“And why would you want that? I think you are pretty much a merc with those serial killer skills of yours.”  
Also getting serious the woman answered: “Maybe, but I don’t know how to get clients or how does the business in it work.”  
“And why would you want to learn?”  
He was having a bad feeling about this. Wanting to shut her mouth about it.  
“Because I can’t really have a regular job now, as a searched killer. I need to get money in other ways to survive out there.”  
A job. Own money. Was she thinking that he was gonna let her go after she gets better? Didn’t anything come clear to her through the fog of meds?  
Victor’s jaw was clenching, claws extending and eyes heavily staring at the evenly glaring woman.  
  
No. He was not going to teach her. She belonged to stay were ever he told her to stay. She thought she was just going to start a new life away from him? No. He needed her to stay somewhere where he knew she would be safe and still.  
Sabretooth wanted to say that. Show that he was the one calling the shots here, she was his, and she…  
Letting out a heavy sigh Victor tried to find some restrain. He would get nowhere, if he would not play smart with this one.  
  
“Doesn’t seem fair”, the feral predator finally said, relaxing and pulling his cocky smile onto his lips.  
“I get to solve that puzzle, but you would get merc teaching from me? Doesn’t seem fair.”  
“…Fine. Something else then.”  
She thought about it some, frittering with the puzzle.  
“…I want a place. Secluded one, somewhere in middle of nowhere.”

* * *

Maybe she was just trifling with the other. Or maybe she was just testing, trying because why not. She didn’t see any harm in it.  
Anna’s latest answer seemed to intrigue the man in more positive way though. He leaned more towards and tilted his head. Like a puss.  
“What kind of middle of nowhere?”  
Well, she really hadn’t been in many places. Just seen pictures. She shrugged her nondamaged shoulder.  
“Somewhere where’s not so cold. But I don’t think I would like too warm place either. Would make laying in overstuffed, warm bed trivial.”  
“Hmm”, Victor let out thoughtfully, smile tugging the corners of his lips. “And when lying in bed is not trivial?”  
“Don’t you ever do that? Relax in bed? Cats do that”, she asked with sincere curiosity.  
“Sometimes.”  
Nodding she turned her gaze back to the puzzle.  
“So, yes or no?”  
“Still too much.”  
“Hmp.”  
  
Something else then.  
“Why don’t you just ask a necklace or something?” Victor asked.  
Anna stared at him like he was asking something stupid. Kinda was. Stupid questions do exist, whatever someone says.  
“What would I do with a necklace?”  
“Wear it?”  
“No- I can’t eat a necklace, maybe sell it, but it’s not really use at surviving”, she started explaining, accelerating suddenly. Seriously, where did that question come from? A necklace?  
“So you think a necklace is useless but laying in a bed is not?”  
“…Yes”, she said with confidence. “Laying in a bed is much more relaxing and good for health than wearing some cold, no use of a necklace.”  
A low laugh from the predator surprised her, she staring at the greatly amused Victor.  
“Well at least you have your priorities.”  
Somehow that kinda sounded like a compliment.  
“Thanks?” she says uncertainly however. “…Would you then like to have a necklace?”  
“Nah, already have one”, he loosens the tie and from under the white shirt pulls out dog tags. Giving a nod she watches him putting them back to hide.  
“I haven’t seen you wearing those before.”  
“Not always wearing them”, he answers slowly. Anna tilts her head curiously.  
“Those important to you?”  
Looking at her suspiciously he doesn’t answer.  
  
“If I win, I’ll get that necklace of yours.”


	32. Let me

Anna really didn't care for jewelry, seeing them just as useless things to waste money into. You can't eat delicate metal nor use it as an effective weapon.  
So, why did she want the one that Victor had just shown her?  
Maybe she wanted to hurt him, in any way. He was forcing her into relationship that she was against. She was alone and injured, no place to go. She needed something, anything, to feel that she had even a tiny fragment of control in this situation.  
Victor's reaction indicated that the dog tags hold something value to him. So Anna wanted to take it from him like he was threatening to take her freedom.

But the predator could easily deny her proposition, just like the mercenary teaching and a place at nowhere.  
However, showing resistance at least this way gave small satisfaction to the prey feral.  
"Fine."  
Anna stared in shock. Looking at the man's relaxed posture and challenging, steady gaze. Ah, he was sure that he was gonna win? Well then…  
"Fine", the woman said back.  
"Ladies first."

Scoffing for being called a lady Anna moved to look at the puzzle at her hands. She couldn't give him just any riddle. Something, that wasn't old and nothing too known.

* * *

The dog tags really didn't hold anything value for Victor. Guess he just kept them for some sentimental bullshit. Or no, no he didn't.  
He just holds them for Jimmy boy.  
Someday he will stuff them down the runt's throat and smile happily when doing so. Not the same as Jimmy throwing them at Victor's feet, but maybe that would show baby brother how unsatisfied big brother was.  
But first Jimmy needs to remember, to understand why.

Until then Victor would hold onto the necklace and the dog tags.  
Maybe he was a bit too confident for agreeing to Anna's terms like that, but he didn't shy from risks. He wouldn't lose.

* * *

"Okay, here."  
Both ferals locked eyes and the woman said the riddle.  
"I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter and yet, you can't go outside. What am I?"

With a bit of anticipation she waited for an answer. The puss acted calm, leaning backwards in his chair and thinking. Watching her, raising hand to his chin. Sharp claws rubbing lightly against his lips.  
As minutes went by, the more awkward keeping the eye contact started to become to her. Victor seemed calm and easygoing, staring densely back.  
Four minutes went.  
"Can't come up with the answer?" Anna tried to poke, but just slowly shaking his head, still maintaining the eye contact, he kept thinking.  
Anna nodded, trying to relax.  
…How long should she give him time? If he could not come up with an answer, he should just give up already. But she didn't want to rush him.

Victor put down his hand.  
"A keyboard."  
"…Yes", she admits, disappointed and huffing to the arrogant smile that formed onto the man's bearded face. She had thought the answer for that riddle for a week before she finally asked from Gary for the answer. The puss already had his own riddle to present.  
"Then: two people are born at the same moment, but they do not have the same birthdays. How could this be?"

Anna was dumbfounded. But was not gonna give up. He had figured out her riddle, so would she.  
Two people, born at the same time. But do not share the same birthday. So this wasn't one of those siblings or family riddles? At the same time. Not twins. Neigh- No.  
At the same time but not the same birthday…

* * *

Victor was enjoying of this, watching as Anna concentrated and tried to keep the eye contact with him. He could stare for hours if he wanted to.  
"Like what you see?" he teased, the female focusing her gaze on him.  
"Hm?"  
Chuckling he smiled widely. She sure was thinking hard. Hopefully not pulling any muscles there. As time passed slowly, his attention started to wander on her face.  
The bruises had started to turn into another color, deep blue. The buzz cut showed clearly the stitches from the surgery.  
Lucky, had the doctor said.  
Yes, she was.  
But she would not have gotten into an accident, if she wouldn't have pulled out that stupid stunt.

How long before she tried to escape again? When she could stand? When her leg would not give out when running? She maybe was faster than him, but he was the best at tracking people. Especially delicious deer.  
"They were born at the same time, but at different days?"

The feral male shook his head, smile staying as the female squinted her light brown eyes and tried harder to think. Brows knitting together, lips puckering to aside and her gaze concentrated.  
Like when they had that drinking game. But her cheek were a bit flushed and a stupid grin always tugging her lips. They had some fun during that game. And after that, when she had calmed down. Victor could remember clearly how it had felt being pulled into bed by her. So open and warm. A bit alien but not bad. Just… Something not familiar.  
But enjoyable nonetheless. Then she had said the runt's name and so pissed him off.  
She would lead Jimmy into her bed but him? She would rather shoot herself.

Raising to stand Victor feels something twisting inside him. Bitter and dark. Familiar.

* * *

Born at the same moment but they do not share the same-  
Fucking riddles and all that stuff, couldn't they play card or something mor-!  
Raising an eyebrow Anna watched as Victor suddenly rose up, still staring at her.  
The female feral was immediately tense and cautiously looking back at him. The puss seemed angry. Not so clearly and openly, more like there was something going on under the surface and it was not pretty. It was the light changes at his features that told Anna to be ready.

"Did I run out of time?" she joked but didn't smile. As the beast man did not answer, she started to think.  
Hospital. Injured. Can't move much. Call the nurse? Button too far, he would strike first. The stolen pencil, under the pillow? She could do the same trick like back at the motel, immobilize him. Then call help.  
Just had to move hand really slowly, distract him.  
"Victor, what?"  
The way he lowered to rest against the bed with his hands, slowly and calmly, was intimidating. Anna lowered hand from her lap to mattress, sliding it very cautiously towards the pillow behind her. Could she take it before he notices? Fuck. Why the fucking now he was like this? She would fight until he would bite her throat out, bring it on puss!

"What's so special about him?" the feral predator finally asked evenly. Confused she asked.  
"Who?"  
She could hear fabric damaging. She glanced quickly towards his extended talons, then back to his dark eyes.  
"Jimmy. What is so special about him?" he repeated.  
Anna really didn't understand why he was suddenly asking that. She hadn't mentioned Logan at all.

"Special in what way?" she pressed on, freezing with widened eyes, when suddenly one clawed hand was next to her face. Shit, fuck. Breath calmly.  
The pen, get. The. Pen.

* * *

 

Smell of snow. Guess every creature loses its bravery, when badly wounded.  
Has baby brother ever smelled her, when she's scared? Probably not. What there is to be sacred of with the runt?

_"Just a bite, Luther. That's all I want."  
"Don't have to Victor, this pies all mine."_

_"Why?"_  
_"Why? You don't call. You don't write. How else I'm supposed to get your attention?"_

 _"So you visited the runt."_  
_"Aaaw, jealous? I just needed something from him. But he was good, you sure are brothers."_

Lightly the feral man brushed Anna's cheek with claws, seeing the goosebumps forming onto her skin. Seeing the fear in her eyes. So pretty. So hardheaded when they met, and now…  
Claws caressed the crook of the woman's neck. Seeing the desperate fight inside those hazel eyes.  
Hmmm… Maybe still she was. She was trying to get something from under a pillow, still fighting even though her instincts must be screaming to flee.  
But how could she, broken and all, trapped by him? Like other frails when he plays with them.  
But this one, all of this one, was his. Only his. Not even the runt would get any piece, not even a crumb.

Sabretooth would devour everything of his female.

* * *

Anna was not going to fear anyone.  
She had always been alone. She had been many times broken, by mind and body, and still survived from situations that should had been the end.  
Her father raised her to survive. Broke her and built her back. It was shitty way he did it, but she was still alive because of him. So whatever the situation ever was, there was always a way to survive. You just have to adapt and be patient. Seek for a weapon in any form.

The pen was too weak and she could not take it out and use in time.  
Something else. Something else…  
Fuck it!

Stopping from reaching for the pen, Anna instead grabbed onto Victor's dark blue tie.  
Pulling from it and leaning forward, the two mutants bumped their heads awkwardly. Anna kept leaning her forehead against Victor's own.  
Glaring into the confused dark eyes she thought: what next?

* * *

He watched as sparks fled in her eyes, smelling her nervousness and determination.  
Closing his eyes Sabretooth smelled her again, not feelings but the pure scent of hers.  
Smoke, like campfire, dark and bitter but at the same time smooth. Leaning forward he placed his forehead on the pace between throat and her uninjured shoulder.  
Growling softly and inhaling the scent of the female Sabretooth felt himself relax. Focusing onto her likable scent, the great beast man hovered over Anna who had pulled him to her.

Eyes fluttering open for a moment Sabretooth felt as she let go of his tie. And then placed her hand against his neck. Petting him, making him growl more softly and calming him down. Forgetting what had made him so angry at first to intimidate his mate.  
Supporting himself with one hand the feral male lifted his other one to the back of her head. Feeling the rough scalp and hearing her whine. Answering Victor purred shortly.

Sabretooth liked this: feeling close to the other, content and warm inside, touching and being caressed in turn.  
Sensing his mate also being pleased.  
He had done this with Jimmy boy when they were young, the runt all the time stressing out. Staying close and snuggling helped them both releasing stress when knowing, that the other one was there. Guess it was an animal thing, releasing anxiety like this.  
But Anna wasn't his brother but a mate.  
Turning head Victor kissed lightly his woman's throat, feeling the shiver running through her body. Smirking the purring feral licked.  
"Vic."  
Chuckling to the warning he inhaled again the scent of sweet smoke of hers. He was getting intoxicated by her, light headed and feeling warm tingling. Growling he pulled backwards to look into her eyes.  
Seeing them darkened and hazed, face flushed. Her body loose and leaning against him.  
The feral lead the woman's head to tilt a bit so he could taste her lips, still feeling odd of it but feeling a wave of warmth washing over when he did it. Mouth corners curving up the mischievous feral nipped her lower lip.  
A surprised sound, the one that only Anna makes, that deer noise, escapes from her. She slaps his shoulder.  
"Mean."  
Snickering he tastes the small bead of blood of hers.  
"Spicy."  
"You psycho."  
"Shut up."

Kissing his mate with more passion Sabretooth purred and growled, touching her and feeling proud: he made her want him. Rousing her. She did feel in some way that she was his mate.  
"What are you doing to me?" Anna asked weakly between the kisses.  
"Nothing", he purred, placing his face under her chin. Nipping and licking the skin and she sighed.  
Feeling the body half under him he also started smelling her fear, dripping through the cloud of arousal.  
"What's wrong bambi?"  
What he was doing wrong now? Tensing some, remembering the scene in the shower, he waited for the answer. When it didn't come, her shaking and the fear continuing, he withdraws to look at her.  
Avoiding his gaze she however tightens her hold onto his suit jacket.  
Glaring Sabretooth holds down oppressive growl. The last time this happened and he snapped, he went into another berserk and returned to just get a knife into his head.

Shifting to sit at the bed's edge, her hold onto him tightens more.  
Victor feels like lost yet again, at how to deal with her. Instincts tells him to stay close and caress, but it didn't help. And demanding, what he wanted to do, probably wouldn't help. Though he wanted to snap her from that state that made him tense in turn.  
Brows lifting he looks down, following as her hand moves on top of his own. Her fingers slowly edging towards his claws.

A warning growl comes out immediately, the man glaring. And then huffs, looking away.  
She couldn't do anything, would more likely hurt herself.  
But despise of those thoughts Sabretooth cannot stop from feeling uncomfortable when she touches his fingers and talons. A steady warning growl starts to carry out from his chest. The claws extends, damaging sheets.

This goes on for sometime.  
The woman touches his talons, a lot, not shying at all but getting braver bit by bit. Sliding her fingertips lightly against his fingers and claws.  
When she cautiously starts pulling his hand to her, Victor looks from the corner of his eyes.  
Looking at his large hand, its long fingers and claws, Anna seems just to be curious. Studying him.  
"...I want claws like yours."  
Skeptically staring at Anna now fully the predator huffs, then says: "It's sometimes difficult to grab on things without scratching them."  
She shrugs.  
"But I bet you don't need knife or scissors all the time?"  
Smirking and laughing shortly Victor watches as she feels his hand's index finger. From palm to the tip of the finger. Admiration shining in her eyes, surprising Sabretooth. She really wanted claws like his? She admires them? Not disgusted or scared?  
She really was a brave little bambi.

When Anna looks up to him, Victor hides his expression, raising a brow.  
"Does it hurt when they lengthen?"  
...Shaking his head Victor watches, as she continues to study his hand and claws. Pulling and lengthening back his talons he huffs to her fascinated look.  
They're just claws.


	33. Mating call

_Something_  had shifted between the tiger and the deer.  
Something.

There was something strongly alluring in the closeness that they could share together. Maybe it always had been, but now it was more tempting than before.  
Drawing them for it. Searching for a reason to be close or touch one another. Even just a slight touch. A brush by knuckles. Fingertip stroking a talon.  
Holding onto a wrist. Intertwining fingers.  
Leaning foreheads against each other and rubbing cheeks together.  
Just some kind of connection, shallow or more.  
It was more of a need, compulsion, that the two mutants were sometimes half-unaware of before realizing what they were doing.  
When Victor would be almost climbing onto the bed to lay next to her, or how Anna would lean towards while having tight hold onto him.  
Then they would halt and withdraw like bashful teenagers.  
But not always all the way, usually lingering in someway onto each other and ignoring it, acting like it was not happening.

Neither one addressed these moments. Feeling too pride or strong or embarrassed to do so.  
And there was hesitation.

Tiger didn't know how not be scary nor how not to hurt, while deer didn't trust the predator who had captured her.  
If he would try to get close too eagerly, she would turn into defensive one. If she would try to act too noticeably, his reaction would make her retreat.  
Both of them were not used to anything normal like sharing affection, a deep kind of let alone, without any caution and purely trusting on someone.  
So, no matter how silly it maybe looked, the two didn't acknowledge these things that they did.  
Despite of this new kind of need, the relationship of theirs was still the same, like a roller coaster.

Lots of sharp turns and fallings...

_"Stop following me puss."_   
_"Like I'll let you go with that wheelchair alone bambi."_   
_"I'm going to a toilet!"_   
_"…Need help?"_   
_"Piss off."_

_"Don't ask."_   
_"I'm just asking. Why do you keep his necklace?"_   
_"It's not your business frail."_   
_"Then my things neither are yours."_

_"I'm not gonna eat that meat."_   
_"Why?"_   
_"Because I don't like meat."_   
_"You need to eat meat."_   
_"I'm a vegetarian."_   
_"Like hell you are. Eat it."_   
_"No."_   
_"Eat. It."_

_"That fucking hurt!"_   
_"Then you'll remember next time not to stab me with a pen!"_   
_"Shit… Get out!"_   
_"I didn't even twist that hard."_   
_"Shut up. Auh…"_   
_"Don't-"_   
_"GET OUT!"_

And upsides...

 _"-and then he's head bashed onto the activated_ _circular saw and it was **messy**! Brains eveywhere!"  
_ _"Hah! You could almost say he was... N_ _o-brainer_ _."_  
"Oh my-! That's a bad one, bad pun! Bad kitty!"  
"Then why you're laughing?"  
"I'm not!"  
"Your lips are twisting."  
"Because of your silly smirk."

 _"-and so me and the enemy stood there like two idiots."_  
 _"How the hell did he mix his own comrades and enemies?"_  
 _"It was pretty dark and rainy night. And he was an idiot."_  
 _"So, what did you do? Killed him?"_  
 _"Nah, I punched him. Then turned him into a human bomb and smuggled him near enough their camp. The guards soon found him and didn't notice anything before he blew up."_  
 _"Okay, that sounds kinda cool. Did they die too?"_  
 _"No, didn't use enough grenades. But it was just hilarious how these guards just stood there as their friend rained down on them."_  
 _"Hahaha!"_  
"It was  **a red**  shower."  
"Oh come on!"

 _"I'm starting to get soft."_  
 _"What?"_  
 _"I'm getting fat from all this laying and sitting around."_  
 _"You'll be juicy and nice for Christmas."_  
 _"Haa-haa. I would taste bitter as piss."_  
"You've drunk piss?"  
"No, it was a metaphor, dumb."  
" ...Bitter as piss..."  
"Oh shut it."

_"No! I want to solve this by myself."_   
_"But you have tried everything, it's starting to get boring to watch your struggle!"_   
_"Well I'm sorry miss I-need-someone-to-entertain-me but I like to solve this puzzle by myself!"_   
_"Hrmmm..."_   
_"You really are a cat, impatient."_   
_"Impatient with endless, unavailing attempts."  
_ _"Just go then. I'll solve this rope puzzle and then let you have it..."_   


It also wasn't easy when they were separated.

Sometimes Sabretooth would be away for couple of days or a week, no more than that, but it was always good to come back.  
Although the hospital environment was pretty dull and he could sense mate also disliking it. But the private hospital was, for now, the only good and safe place for her, not to be easily found by police nor the runt... And she wouldn't just disappear from him.  
Being away from her was still irritating, like an itch that wouldn't go away until he was back, but it wasn't as painful and infuriating when he had left her in that village. Though the need to be with her was still displeasing.  
Like he was dependent on her. Very uncomfortable... Even if he had accepted this mate thing.  
But, he couldn't deny how much he liked of those little moments when he could return and lay back, although he wanted more to lay next to her but... The bed was too small for both of them.  
And she would surely kick him out, if she would be able to.  
...This was so annoyingly fucked up. It's not supposed to be like this!  
He didn't know how exactly this should be but he wasn't fond of acting like a puss as bambi called him. He didn't like, how he really couldn't have any control of this whole thing. It was humiliating how much freedom he gave to this frail towards him.  
He's Sabretooth, he didn't submit.  
He showed his dominance and power onto others. He didn't care for females' feelings and thoughts, he just did what he liked, when he liked.  
He kept what he considered as his and played with it.  
He didn't puss out nor feel sorry, not especially to please some frail who couldn't show him respect that he deserved. And yet, he tried to find some way in this their thing, not to rile her up but also not to show weakness.  
But he still found himself softly stalking for those moments when they would share affection. Like it was natural between them even though they didn't acknowledge them.  
Luckily he could undo his frustration and anger in the missions he went now and then. Feel like true himself when controlling everything and everyone with ease.

To Anna, Victor's leavings were always unnerving even if she didn't show it.  
Didn't matter what he was or what she thought of him, but without him, she didn't have anyone. The nurse, whose name she still didn't bother to remember, did try make some kind of connection but the prey feral didn't feel the need nor interest. The nurse was just a normal human, paid to look after her.  
In the hospital the female mutant was feeling herself bored and lazy. She felt how her strength was leaving her body as she recovered. It was unnerving.  
When she would finally be able to move on her own, she would be too weak to stand her ground against the predator nor anyone.  
Victor could easily take her into what ever hole he wanted to throw her in and keep her as some pet.  
Those thoughts were scary, agonizing, and so Anna tried to ignore those as much as she could. There was no idea to think about the future, she just needed to survive in present.  
Which was more or less about her staying in the hospital and waiting for the puss to come back from where ever he had gone to.  
Times shared with him distracted her from the dark, scared and lonely thoughts. When they shared... Anything, she felt like he was fading away the growing anxiety inside of her.  
Victor was to her the familiar evil that she rather took a chance with than being thrown into unknown, for now as she was weak and unable to stand on her own.

And whenever Victor came back to Anna, things were first a bit stiff before slowly settling back. A bit of bickering and glaring, threatening.  
Then calming down. Joking and mocking.  
Speaking.  
Silence.  
And then moments of just being together, talking, joking, telling. Touching.  
It maybe was weird rhythm when you thought about it, but not to them. It was much better not to think about it.  
Otherwise it would get complicated to share anything and they didn't really want that. They needed to interact with each other.  
They were just unsure of where the two of them stood at.  
Like on separated ice rafts with only a rope between in their hands.

* * *

Well, the bambi  _finally_ did it.  
Victor was more relived than surprised. Looking at the solved ring-and-rope-puzzle on the widely smiling woman's lap he grinned, glancing from it to her.  
Smug looking bambi.  
Despite of the fact how long she had been solving it, almost a month, and how fast he could had solve the puzzle... He was a little bit proud of her. For doing it on her own despite of his frustration and how fast he could have solved it, which was in a minute.  
"Nice work", he said without a hint of sarcasm, opening again the book he was reading while sitting on the chair next to her bed. He heard a huff. What? Did she await for award and red carpet?  
Glancing he saw her pout. Really?  
"You want a trophy?"  
"...No", she said and started putting the thing onto her nightstand. Victor snickered, closing the book and placing it onto his seat as he got up.  
"Then why are you acting like a child?"  
"I am not" she said evenly, avoiding to look at him and started carefully flex her right arm.

The doctor had said that Anna was doing great recovery. She had started physical therapy with her shoulder. Her ribs were healing well and there didn't seem no permanent damage in her insides. The leg should still need more time to heal though.  
But even so, it was still too slow for Victor. He wanted his mate out of this boring hospital already. He could sense she was fed up with this place too. He wanted the two of them somewhere more secured place where there would be just the two of them. Somewhere not so cold nor too hot. A big, comfy bed for them. A large forest where to run and hunt together.  
Though, there were good things about her not able to ramp around.

Leaning against the bed with his hands Victor observed the female feral, she still not looking at him. She halted when he lightly rested his forehead against her shoulder. Breathing in Sabretooth smelled her, feeling the warmth from the connection.  
Purring sound rising silently from his throat, the beast man moved his mouth against the woman's neck. Lips lingering against the skin as he heard her gulping and moving a hand onto his own. Yet again she caressed his talons with her fingertips.  
She really did seem to like them. One of the most things she liked to touch at him was his claws. Her attention towards them always excited him, made him pleased.  
Purring more the feral man nibbled the skin with his sharp teeth.  
Feeling already an erection stiffening inside his pants. How long it had been? It just didn't feel the same if it wasn't someone like Anna, fucking back and wrestling with him. Fun playing.  
Sliding his palm slowly, distracting her with nibbles, kisses and licks over her throat, Victor placed his caressing hand under the blanked and between Anna's legs.

* * *

Hearing the low grunt from Vic and feeling his hand against her Anna felt trapped.  
Feeling adrenaline in her veins and heart pumping after so long time. She wanted some action, dead tired of just sitting and laying. She finally had started to work on her almost healed shoulder, only the leg now and she could...  
Run. Jump. Kick. Climb. Do anything, move on her own and freely. It would feel so good.  
And maybe fucking, oh yeah, that sounded good too. Maybe with Victor, he surely would be good.

Gasping from Victor's fingers that he boldly dug through fabric, talons scratching, Anna's eyes widened. Shivering from excitement as she tried to sit still and not look at him.  
"Would this be a good reward?"  
"Hah..." Anna laughed weakly at the low, rumbling voice next to her ear. She was a bit unsure, shivering as the clawed fingers so teasingly touched her and the mouth tasted her skin where it was bare. She really felt the need...  
Something warm and exciting. Memories of snowy forest and hard tree against her back. Her dark bedroom and claws moving all over her. Deep purring and growling.  
Despite how much she tried, she couldn't hold in the high sound as sharp teeth bit harder onto her neck, taking skin between them and almost, almost breaking it.  
Irritation sparked inside.  
She actually growled at the end of her throat, closing the man's fingers and talons inside her hand, feeling stinging pain.  
A wet tongue sent more warmth straight into her womanhood where the bastard's fingers were tending the flames.  
Strong body. Deep movement. Stickiness and warmth.

There was knocking at the door, Anna's nurse voice coming through it, asking.

* * *

Like a deeply offended cat, Victor let out a nasty sound while releasing his mate's neck and looked at the door.  
Anna's muffled giggling did not help.  
"What?" he barked.  
The door started to open. Victor ignored the hand that tried to remove his from between thighs.  
"Hey!"  
Ignoring the protests and hissing, Sabretooth waited and hold his palm and fingers where ever he wanted. The door opened and the nurse came right in. Stupid cow.  
The face she made was however amusing when she saw and understood what she walked right into. Raising a brow and wide smile spreading Victor waited, not needing to see Anna's reaction: she was dead silent and stiff, the scent of embarrassment reeking.

"...I'll come back later", the nurse said and retreated, closing the door after her.  
Sabretooth, grinning evily, chuckled until a palm hit the back of his head.  
"Oh you asshole!"  
Turning his head he saw her face so deep red and ashamed, that he couldn't stop from howling in laughter. He felt so weak as all the strength in his body seemed to waver in front of the great booming laughter inside him, the woman finally able to yank his hand from her womanhood. After that she started smacking his head, the feral man faintly bowing his head and raising his arm to shield from them. It wasn't like she was gonna do any damage with one, open palm.  
"You idioticnarsisticfuckerbastardscumbag-!"  
Her anger just seemed to fuel his amusement more, that in the end Sabretooth was laying on the floor and still silently snickering between deep breaths.  
The woman had fallen silence and did not look down at him. Oh what a sweet little thing she could be, so embarrassed and bashful even though she rides like a wild predator!

Rising the huge man of a beast looked at the woman who was laying on her back and her face away from his direction. Aaah he had done it again, peeved the beast with a deer hide. This shall be fun.

* * *

Anna hated, hated the bastard whose head she was going to preserve as a trophy when she would think a way to kill him permanently!  
It didn't matter if she didn't really talk with the nurse but she didn't like of the idea of the whole hospital whispering of the so-called husband fingering her not-wife!  
And he DARED to laugh at her!

Even before the mattress started to sink, she knew where he was and what he was going to do.  
Clenching her healthy hand into a fist she struck. But her fist was grabbed by larger hand and the tiger slipped over the laying, trapped deer.  
From the corner of her eyes Anna cautiously watched him. Something to stab with, something something, no, nothing, bastard had informed the nurse to check her bed for any dangerous things, dickhead, strangle him then...  
Clawed hand took a hold of her chin and turned her head so that the predator could capture the female's lips.  
The ire fire inside of Anna turned into smoldering need.  
She didn't like it, she really didn't like it how he hovered over her, how the bed creaked under his weight, how she had come so easily accepting his closeness and hot, large body against her with that silly grin and eyes like a true predator-  
The mutant male let out a short and low grunt, animalistic and asking, his gaze searching something inside her eyes.  
It was just a sound but coming from him with that preying look and warm body the feral woman instinctively answered back.  
It was embarrassing high but luckily short sound, like a bird.

It startled her, brown eyes blinking as the darker ones above also seemed surprised.  
Anna's gaze wandered away as she was not sure what that had just been. She had never ever done that kind of sound that rose from blooming sweetness inside her.  
Bad, really bad, not able to control herself, can't think. Basement. Cold. Shackled onto wall. Hot, strong body. Predator. Pain. Sweetness. No. Yes?  
Anna found her heart pounding against her chest, body tensed. And felt teeth against her throat, lips pressing against skin and purring vibrating from body that pressed against her.  
She lifted her right hand to grip onto Victor white dress shirt's sleeve.  
Don't think. Just the present, not the future. Surviving, now. Can't stress.

* * *

She had answered to him. It was good, really good, but also unnerving. Heh, he, Sabretooth, unnerved by such a pitiful sound that answered to his silly calling.  
But she had answered, right before starting to go down that dangerous road that made her so unpredictable for her own safety.  
There was still much to do before he would break her in. It was slow and frustrating from time to time but this was good, a step forward.  
She answered to him.  
Victor breathed in deeply his mate's scent as he hold her from throat with his teeth, calming her.

His. This was his, all of her. She'll start to understand that.


	34. Beast's weakness

As time has passed, Anna has started rehabilitating her leg.  
The female mutant was very excited, determined and eager.  
Even too much so, she pushing her limits all the time, even when she felt dead tired or the pain was telling not to continue. The personal nurse had every time trouble to get the patient calm down and take a break or go back into bed.  
But Anna always wanted to keep going.  
Straining herself was a stupid move, she knew it under all the eagerness. But frustration, like any negative emotion, was the greatest motivation behind her efforts.  
She had enough of laying and sitting around. She had enough of feeling bounded and not able to move on her own. She had enough of feeling weak.  
She wanted to whip her body back to its former strength and move on her own, so she ignored most of the pain, tiredness and the nurse.  
When the spring would come, she was going to run in woods. She  _missed_ running in woods.  
She missed fighting. She wanted to move her whole body in an accelerating action!

"Okay, that's enough", the nurse, a middle aged woman, said yet again as she stood next to Anna who stood between two hand rails. The scarred woman had wet spots across her shirt from sweating. She was panting and shaking. It had been about one and a half hours of walking back and forth on the parallel walking bar.  
They should had stopped over an hour ago.  
Anna was suppose to do short practices and rest a lot, not strain herself. But the nurse nor a doctor couldn't really force Anna if she didn't want to, she being a stubborn.  
"Just a bit more", was the usual answer Anna gave and this time was no different.  
With a gleaming look in her eyes, corners of her mouth slightly upwards and hands gripping onto the hand rails with whitened knuckles.  
She felt tired and she felt her healing leg throbbing with ache.  
But she wanted to keep walking. Feeling good to walk and move without that clumsy wheelchair.  
It felt good in a twisted way to move her healing leg and feel it throbbing. Maybe her body would take a hint and heal quicker if she was forcing it...

Ignoring the nurse Anna started towards the other end. She was not moving as quickly and without difficult like earlier, but she forced herself.  
She didn't feel uncomfortable with the pain, she was used to it by now, and she just. Wanted.  
To keep.  
Walking.

"Mister Bouchard!" the nurse called in relief when the door opened and the feral man entered the middle sized training room. Anna stopped for a second before focusing back into walking. Ignoring the two, the nurse tattling no doubt, Anna kept going until she got to the other end. There, Victor came standing next to her and leaned against a hand rail.  
"...Didn't we settle this last time?"  
Huffing Anna didn't even glance and turned around, going to walk back to the other end, but Victor's hand landing on top of hers made her halt.  
The larger hand laid heavily and the fingers with sharp claws pressed her fingers against the rail.  
Trying lightly to pull her hand back, nothing happening, the blond bald headed woman stood and stared forward, before turning her gaze to staring Victor.

The two ferals kept at it in silence, before the man asked the nurse to leave them alone. A bit reluctantly she did so.

When door opened and closed, the two mutants all alone in the training room, Victor spoke.  
"Am I gonna have to haul your ass to bed again?"  
Anna half-laughed, smiling mischievously.  
"You don't have to. But you do seem to enjoy of it."  
"Actually, I sometimes prefer you would just listen and do like a nice little frail."  
Challengingly, Anna leaned towards him and said.  
"I don't do that... So maybe you should look that from elsewhere, from someone else."  
"I find plenty of that from anywhere from anyone."  
"So you wanna see if you can break me into your little frail, who to fuck when you feel like it?"  
Anna felt irritation as the bastard made a approving, pondering face.  
"Well, if you put it like that..."  
"No. Go fuck someone else puss, I'm trying to walk", she snarled and yanked her hand a bit harder. But the beast man was far more stronger.  
"No you ain't."

...Launching a right punch Anna was not able to hit the bastard, as he grabbed onto her fist and pulled and lifted her over his right shoulder. Carrying the woman just like last time towards the door, ignoring her growls of frustration.  
If she would be just fine, in her full strength, she could fight him and not just be thrown around like a goddamn doll!  
"Put me down", she commanded, but he did not listen. "Now!"  
The mutant male kept walking.  
No, he wasn't listening. Just like the last time.

He also hold her so that she couldn't start attacking him like last time, when they both ended onto the floor, hurting each other until a security guard with the nurse ran in. It had been a bit... Not nice, as they both had been injured, though the puss could heal from anything, and the nurse with other workers now gossiped of them.  
Anna heard them doing so. She and Victor were now an unhappy couple who had violence between them, oh how horrible!  
Except they were not a couple, and what happened between them was no-one else's business.  
And they didn't want any attention to them. That's what Victor had hissed before vanishing for a week before coming back.  
Anna hated when he did that, disappears like that. But at least he's not away longer than a week. But it still... She was bored without him, in the hospital.

Sighing, or more like yawning, Anna decided she actually did want to go to bed. Or maybe a shower first, yeah. But she needed a nurse's help in that...

* * *

Victor made his way easily towards the door, glad that Anna didn't make a big deal about this like last time. It had not been a nice thing, and now the staff kept an eye on them. More on him, especially...  
Nothing new, but they shouldn't call for any attention to them. Anna was still looked nation widely for the happening and Victor too.  
Maybe couple of weeks and then he would get her out of here. She was doing just fine, just needed her leg to be fully healed and she could walk back and forth anywhere he wanted to place her in. Maybe a private doctor checking her now and then.  
A week, then he would move her into...  
Somewhere were is not too hot nor cold, secluded and has a good, big bed for her to sleep in. She could run there freely, him with her.  
And he had a lot of private places were she could stay.

Victor stopped before reaching for the door. And then turned and walked to the massaging table.  
"Were are we going?" Anna's voice asked behind his back. A smile tugged his lips.  
"Wanna check you up."  
"Excuse me?"  
"After the strain you put onto your leg, it needs to be massaged so it won't hurt later."  
"...Fine."  
My my, not any disputes?  
He placed her onto the massaging table into sitting position.

Victor's hands didn't stop touching Anna at all. Feeling through thin clothing he slide his palms against her hips, thighs and then moved both onto her right leg. Kneading with his fingers and extending claws, trying the muscles. Starting from her kneecap and proceeding downwards. He could feel her tensing, her breath wavering a little, small sound held back the more the closer he got to her wound. Looking at his working hands Sabretooth smiled that the tips of his sharp teeth showed.  
He skipped the wound, continuing towards her ankle, feeling her relax. He put more force onto his fingers.  
She let out a half-moan before suffocating it but too late.  
Sabretooth looked up to her, smirking and stroking her leg.  
"Said something?"  
The feral female glared with heated face. But she did not tell him to stop, so Victor started massaging his way back up. She let out more quiet sounds, always glancing away when he tried to see her when doing those voices.  
"The doctor explained that you can't strain your leg."  
"Yeah yeah."  
This time Victor did not skip the wound, putting pressure onto it until she hissed.  
"Stop that!"  
He decreased the pressure but did not let go, looking at her.  
"What? You don't seem to want if to heal."  
"I want it to heal but faster."  
Huffing Victor moved on started again kneading the muscles.

It was a bit tiresome how long she was taking to heal. It wouldn't even be a whole day for him to heal from something like this. Sabretooth frowned deeply.  
This whole time in here, at the hospital with her, just kept reminding him how she was not like he and the runt. Easily to be broken, easily to die. Just like everyone else.  
"...Would you want to heal faster? Like me?" he asked, not looking up.  
The lengthen silence finally broke.  
"No."  
He looked up, surprised.  
"Why?"  
"Because in the end it would be more like a burden than nothing else", Anna said, looking not him but at her leg. "I don't wanna die without a fight, but I don't want to fight endlessly. I want to have an ending."  
Victor rose and leaned over the woman, claws digging into table's padding.  
"So you are scared of death?" he questioned with a hint of growl in his voice.  
"I'm not", she claimed, answering his offensive attitude with same kind of, she tensing up. "I just don't want to live on without an end of it, everything getting dull and pointless."  
"It wouldn't get dull and pointless. The world changes all the time around you."  
"And I wouldn't? I would just keep fighting against anything that threatens me now and then? Another feral predator, another asshole who's a bit better than me?"  
Sabretooth growled warningly, pushing more over her, she trying to keep herself straight but muscles from the hard working she had did trembled.  
"There would not be another one."  
"That's even worse."

* * *

It would be.  
For Anna, always healing, never changing and never dying, sounded like a curse. She didn't want to fight endlessly, without any end to it. She wanted that, at some point, there would be the end, when she doesn't have to fight anymore and live with her sadness and anger. Never having anything lasting. And with someone else forever? What if things change? To bad? But you can't leave...  
What if mother could have never died, staying forever as father's prisoner?  
What if father could have never died, Anna's attempt failing and she would still be with him in that cottage?  
Forever.  
That word sounded more dangerous than anything else in the world to her. So many thing could go wrong with forever.

Her answer angered Victor though, Anna's strained muscles giving in and she fell backwards. Praising for the pain but only to be stopped from falling from the table by strong arms circling around and so holding her. The position was a bit awkward, the woman stretched backwards, the man leaning onto her and the table, hugging her middle.  
Instinctively Anna's arms circled around the feral's neck, heart beating a bit faster. Victor's hold on her was tight, his face against her chest, his warmness and weight on her.  
"Loneliness is even worse."  
Anna blinked in surprise, the voice of the beast man growling but having something... Something softer that she had never heard in his voice before. Not by him talking. She looked down but Victor's face was pressed against her chest, the growling sound quiet, almost a whisper but in her sensitive ears clear.  
"Being completely alone you want something to be there. Anything. Was it in worse or better."  
Anna swallowed, feeling something aching inside as she listened him, the words and the tone. Her arms tightening their hold around Sabretooth's head.  
She waited him to continue, but it seemed Victor was not gonna say anything else, and so uncomfortable silence settled over.  
Forever. Alone. Anna thought she knew how it felt. She had felt alone in the village, even with Sarah and Gary. And Joseph.

But when everything had gone into shit when Sarah had been killed, and then Joseph. And when Gary had turned against her... During the escape she had run without anyone helping her and no-place to run into... She really had been alone against everyone.  
Now, thinking about that horrible feeling, complete loneliness, and imagining it to continue for years... Without anyone, for worse or better...  
It did actually sound so much worse.  
Swallowing uncomfortably, looking at as Victor started rubbing his face against her, Anna tried to control the strange feelings. She hated when he did this, surprised her and made her feel things that made her feel weak against him. But this was maybe the first time he made her feel like this without any sexual.  
She heard him to start purring, her heart beating as he kept rubbing his face against her chest gently.  
She could separate a sad tone from his purring. And she couldn't help but feel herself to be close.  
Petting the short, dark hairs of his with her fingers Anna shook a bit as she tried to stay calm and observe this, him, her, everything.  
Complete loneliness.  
For years.  
It sounded very much sad and painful.

* * *

Victor did not understand why in the hell he had said anything like that. Let it get to him.  
It made him so weak in front of his mate that it should enrage him, show that despite that moment of weakness he was still the Sabretooth who could take care of her.  
But despite of his irritation and her difficult attitude, something had given in in the feral predator.

Breathing in the scent of his mate, she a bit nervous and sad, he wanted to comfort her. Or look that from her. He wanted her to touch him. He felt the need, the fear of being turned down after those stupid words.  
Victor did something that rose the hair on back of his neck, making his heart beat like it hadn't in centuries. It maybe didn't seem much, but to a feral like him it was very much a scary thing to do.  
Backing away, sliding onto his knees, hugging the female Sabretooth acted before he understood it. Purring, rubbing his face against his mate's stomach Victor stayed on his knees and submitted. Asking, no,  _begging_  for her affection.  
It made his stomach twist painfully, like he was going to hurl, a slight shakiness spreading in his body and his claws digging into opposite arms behind the female's back.  
The mutant male's face halted and his purring died.  
Submitting. He. What the hell was he doing?  
Sabretooth breathed faster, trying to keep it under control but as his body had acted like his instincts had told him, his mind was in turmoil. Wrecked.  
He did not submit. Never.  
He almost felt like passing out, and it made him even more angry towards him. Her, for doing this to him!

A sound, like a bird.  
Victor instinctively answered back with a low grunt, tightening his hold onto her. Focusing onto her petting hands on his head and neck.  
She made the sound again, more softly, and Sabretooth answered again. Slowly raising his cautious gaze up to look at her. Unsure what would he find.  
A red face, as unsure gaze as his, staring back.  
What she held in her eyes made Victor to quickly stand up, purring loudly and kiss his mate. Hands all over her and he hungrily tasting her lips.  
He was happy as she answered back, her hands stroking him in turn, making sweet sounds.  
Fuck. Even though he didn't like at all what he had done, he surely hell liked what it had lead into.

* * *

Nibbling Victor's lower lip Anna broke the kiss for a moment, breathing heavily and eyes darkened. She still felt nervous, shy but Victor's strong reactions had diminished them.  
"We really shouldn't", she said with bright blush, making the puss frown.  
"Oh yeah? Why?"  
Anna glanced before whispering to him.  
"There's a camera on the corner."  
The beast man looked, seeing the surveillance camera, a smirk spreading on his face.  
"So what", he growled, starting to move his teeth across her neck and making her giggle. Anna liked how the puss used his claws and teeth, making her all tingly, like small sparks. "Let's give them a good show, bambi."  
"Vic!"

* * *

He was just kidding. He was not going to show his mate to anyone else.  
But it was adorable how she was so timid towards having an audience.  
Straightening Sabretooth picked his mate up, bridal style this time.  
"Fine, we continue this in your room."  
"Horndog..."  
He tapped her bottom lightly.  
"Can't help it when having a juicy deer."  
He smiled more widely as she tightened her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear: "Watch it, puss, or you'll get this deer's leg up your ass."  
"Kinky", he purred.

They didn't get to continue in her room however. As Anna had relaxed in Victor's arms, the exhaustion she had put herself through finally found its way to shut her down into a sleep. Didn't bug Victor much in the end, they could continue anytime they wanted. Especially after he would take her out of here. Then they could just fuck like rabbits all day and night.  
Sitting next to the bed into a chair the mutant male reached out his hand, stroking his mate's hair that slowly had started crowing.

...It maybe had given something new, changed something between them, but he was not gonna do that again, ever. Submitting even for her had been so wrong, it still made him nausea in his stomach. But just this time he'll let it pass. Just because she seemed more eager to be his mate now. After he'll get Anna out of the hospital and into one of his hideouts, he could urge her more, showing her that being with him was very advisable.


	35. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !ATTENTION! As this story is a getting a bit long, this chapter is gonna be the last of part 1, Play Tiger and Deer. I will try soon to start the part 2, Run with Deer and hunt with Tiger. I am very happy and grateful for all the comments, likes, support and interest you have shown towards the story so far and I hope you'll glance through the sequel and join again the ride. Thank you.

Things were proceeding well with his mate.  
The accident and the injuries have given the needed hinder for her to be... More docile for Victor, without forcing him to act directly and aggravating the little bond they had between them.

Though it had been a bit uneasy seeing her like that, being reminded of her mortality. Making the feral man doubt this prey, disobedient and vulnerable one. But her situation, making her dependent on him in unfamiliar environment at the hospital, had given the beast man opportunity to enjoy of the woman more than in the village. Where she would always be running, fighting and acting stubborn.  
Now she had become more calmer and more trusting towards him as she had no-one else.  
And so Sabretooth could enjoy of her as he pleased when ever he wanted.  
...Well. Mostly as he pleased.  
She still had fight in her, trying to put him in line now and then, and it was so amusing that for fun he listened her. But just because he liked it. He liked her fighting spirit, finding his way around her defenses and making her yield to him without breaking her completely. It was refreshing kind of challenge and the prizes were nothing nil.

Sabretooth smirked, leaning at the busy bar's counter, satisfied smile playing on his lips as he remembered.  
The naughty thing they had done, the way he had left her there for the female nurse to take care of. Though part of him had wanted to stay and keep an eye on his satisfied, wet and hot female. He had made sure that no other male was taking care of his mate though, from the beginning, just females allowed near her when he wasn't there.  
Victor felt his member twitch in his pants as he recalled the fucking they had on Anna's bed. Holding the moaning female in his arms, whipping his hips against hers and she leaning against him weakly.  
With smoldering eyes the feral man looked at his target in the distance.  
Even if Sabretooth had enough money, connections and time, he still needed to show now and then on his professional field that he was active. Though he would like to just stay with his mate, poking her -more ways than one- and bringing down another wall of hers, bringing her more into realizing that being his mate was a positive thing.  
But Victor knew better, he would get bored in that place if just staying there, even with her and she not able to move freely yet.  
Well, this gig, and he would take her out of there. She didn't need to be so close observed by the hospital people anymore. And in private, in one of his hideouts, he could enjoy of his mate as much as he wanted.

The target was moving, bodyguards surrounding her.  
Getting up Sabretooth wandered ahead outside. The target was being careful but still acting predictability. Not stepping into her car at the front of the night club but instead behind it, were there was no people and buildings offering shelter from snipers. Three bodyguards, maybe ex-soldiers. Daddy wanted to keep his girl safe. Then he shouldn't let his cub get out with all the dangers waiting.  
Like him.

Between the buildings the feral jumped from wall to wall and moved upwards to the roof. From there to the edge and seeing just in time for the car coming to fetch the princess.  
When door was opened for her, the guards looking anywhere else than up, the predator dropped. Landing straight onto one of he big guys, the drop and his weight crushing the bodyguard under. Quick steps, slice with claws a throat, move to the frail, grab by wrist and pull.  
One guard alive but there's couple of more, plus the driver in the car, getting out of the vehicle. Guns out and pointing. Keeping eyes on them the large feral keeps the target in front of him, extended claws against her throat.  
Fear. Uncertainty. Nervousness. The alleyway is thick from these smells and Sabretooth breaths the sweet mix in.  
"Now, me and the lady here are going to step into the vehicle", he started calmly. "And you'll-"  
One of the idiots shoots him, bullet piercing through Victor's throat, making it a bit uncomfortable to breath for a moment.  
Gobbing out some fresh blood and onto ground towards the guards the feral looks at them.  
He was in good mood, so he'll give them another chance.  
It's hard to speak with blood in throat though. Then the frail next does stupid, with a scream strikes his face with something that wounds the side of his face and slits his left eye open.  
Snarling angrily Victor throws the frail against a brick wall, placing one of his free hands against his damaged eye. The guards start firing then and it's a mess from there.  
The employer wanted a clean kidnap, no bodies, but hey, sometimes things get messy in this profession and you can't always get the bonus.

Stealing the car and the girl victor drives into the agreed meeting place. He's early. He gets to the backseats where the unconscious frail lays with a bleeding wound on her forehead. But she's breathing.  
Lurking over the frail on his all fours Sabretooth leans down, smelling his prey. Nose hovering over the lightly raising chest Victor moves to scent the frail's neck.  
Expensive perfume, alcohol, cigar smoke, makeup, hint of cocaine, lingering fear... So many thick layers build over one another that the natural smell of the woman is hiding under all of it.  
Soft and acrid.  
But Sabretooth is more interested of, what the frail used to wound him back at the ally. Didn't seem she had any weapon. But she seemed to be clutching onto something in her hand. Retiring he pries the fingers open and picks the thing between his fingers.  
The whole car starts to lightly shook form the roaring laughter as Sabretooth gets it what the frail used against him. It far too ironic and funny that he can hardly believe it.

A necklace! The frail had used a piece of useless, thin metal like necklace as a weapon against him!  
The laughing stirs the frail under him, Victor smiling wickedly down at her terrified face as she freezes like a prey. Supporting himself with one hand with other dangling the jewelry above her face, the feral man leans downwards.  
Saying in low, amused tone.  
"You wanna hear something funny?"

* * *

Anna was not sure what the hell was happening around her. It didn't help that whatever stuff had been given to her, because something surely had been given to her, made her go back and forth from being aware of her surroundings to drugged half-sleeping state. She felt heavy and disoriented. Things happened around her. Changing whenever she closed her eyes or didn't listen for a moment.

First bright lights were moving past above her, sound of wheels against floor speeding fast, hearing a familiar... Female voice... The nurse? Her personal nurse whose name she hadn't bothered to learn?  
Where was she taking her...? Sleepy...  
 _"I'm heading into the elevator with the target, be ready to receive us."  
_ Elevator? Target? No, she- Why was she being moved, and why she was drugged?

Next, an angry voice. Growling but not like the puss', she would know his sound... Anywh...  
 _"Where are you taking her?"  
"Excuse me sir, who are you? This area is only for the staff."_

Anna startled back to online. Was that a gun? With silencer? No, they were in the hospital, why would... A sound of metal, like sword. She had heard that sound before... Shit, had to break through, something was wrong. The drug. Why was she- Can't stay awake much, so tired. Bad, really bad.

Next Anna felt like being carried by strong arms, hearing man's panting and smelling something oddly familiar: cigar and musk.  
This was getting weird, she  _needed_ to wake up.  
 _"It's okay Anna. I got you."_

* * *

Logan was almost as confused as the woman in his arms. He wasn't sure what was going on here, but at least he was sure that the nurse back there with her gun hadn't meant anything nice.  
It had taken time to find Anna. The hospital that Logan first had tried hadn't given out any information about her but they did had her there for a moment. Nothing had gotten through them though, not saying much until he used his more persuasive methods.  
She had been transformed into another hospital. With her  _husband_.  
The later fact had not made him feel any better towards Anna's safety.  
Wolverine hadn't been even sure was the psycho feral really taken Anna into another hospital or somewhere else. But he needed to get her away from Sabretooth.

So, it had been purely looking around, going from place to another. Searching. Hoping to get lucky. Wolverine hadn't wanted to mix the X-men into this either, this being personal.  
And getting more odd as Logan finally smelled Anna's scent in the air all around in this private hospital, but not finding her in the room where she most likely dwellt in. He kept following the scent, seeing a nurse taking Anna into an elevator and it starting to go down. Racing down fire escape to see were the elevator would stop, Logan stepped in front of the suspicious nurse and sleeping Anna. He had not however waited for a handgun, he was shot, but luckily it wasn't that a big of problem.  
The bigger problem was, that after hitting the woman unconscious, what should he do next?

Wolverine had found the frail. Sabretooth was nowhere to be found. The exit was near. Something was going on here.  
...He needed to get Anna out of here.  
Taking Anna into his arms in bridal style, she stirred awake. Tired eyes slightly open and staring up to him.  
"Hi", Logan greeted with his gruff voice, smile spreading onto his face despite of the situation. She moaned silently, leaning her head against his chest. Tightening his grip on her, Logan pressed gently his forehead against hers, smelling her scent mixed with hospital and...  
Victor's musk.  
"I got you..."

* * *

Victor did not care to close the door as he stopped the car in front of the hospital's front doors, heading straight in in strides.  
His heart rate was almost deafening in his ears, lengthened claws sliding his palms open whenever he closed his fists. Unnatural, ghostly chillness licked against his spine making his head clouded with... Something.  
There was a man in a suit with couple of security guards. Sabretooth, not bothered to change into his role as mister Bouchard, marched to the guy in suit and towered over him.  
"I got a call", came the almost growling, low and calm voice that still hinted something dangerous lurking under it. "That my wife, has gone missing."  
Leaning downwards, seeing and smelling and feeling the fear in the air. He gave a half-smile to the other man.  
"Is this true?"  
"That's enough sir", one of the guards had the guts to say, reaching his hand. He immediately halted though as Victor gave a glance, the guard backing off and Victor stared again at the guy in a suit.  
"Well?"

"Umm, I'm sor- Sorry, mister Bouchard, this unfortu-"  
"IS IT!?"  
The room, the doctors, nurses, patients and guests, fell completely silent and the air was even thicker from fear. Any other time it would have been a sweet scent to his senses but now, he wanted smell a lie. That there was a mistake, and the fucking frail was in her goddamn room or somewhere around here, because she needed to! She needed a wheelchair or sticks to move around! How the hell could they loose her!?  
"Yes", the guy whispered.  
Victor wanted to rip the guy, everyone, in that room, to a messy bloody lumps. All of them useless and idiots! But... But, he needed the information. Because he needed to find the frail. He needed, to find his mate, and take her into somewhere else, because this shitty excuse for a private hospital was a mistake!  
She was his!

Leaning even more downwards, almost unheard, soft growl rising from his throat, the feral predator asked.  
"What happened?"


End file.
